Duplicate  Sc^  ^ols 

in  The  L     A  ^^ 

^  J. 

\\ 

'  A\ " 

JOSEPH   S.  TAYLOR,  Pd.  L        '^*o 

District  Superintendent  of  Schools     \  ^    "^  ^ 

\%    I 


New  York 

Published  by  the  Board  of  Education 
WILLIAM  G.  WILLCOX,  President 

1916 


u 


kv 


A 


^^ 


h^ 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction 5 

Table  of  Special  Activities 9 

The  Auditorium 9 

Domestic  Science 17 

Drawing 20 

Nature  Study 23 

Science 25 

Sewing 30 

Farming 32 

Millinery 34 

Library 36 

Carpenter  and  Cabinetmaker 39 

Music 40 

Manual  Training 43 

Play  and  Physical  Training 44 

Commercial  Work 49 

Machine  Shop 52 

Pottery 54 

Sheet  Metal  Shop 55 

Printing 57 

Periods  of  Rotation 60 

Method  of  Assignment  to  Special  Activities 62 


344035 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/duplicateschoolsOOnewyrich 


DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX, 
NEW   YORK 

In  February,  1915,  the  first  Bronx  school  was  reor- 
ganized in  accordance  with  the  duphcate-school  plan  of 
Mr.  William  Wirt.  An  account  of  the  first  six  months  of 
operation  under  the  new  system  has  been  published  by 
the  writer*.  Five  additional  schools  inaugurated  the 
new  plan  on  February  1,  1916.  The  six  schools  included 
in  the  present  account  are  6,  28,  42,  44,  45,  53. 

The  object  of  the  account  is  to  present  facts,  useful  for 
our  guidance  in  the  further  development  of  the  schools 
and  the  correction  of  mistakes  made.  Incidentally,  the 
pubHc  may  learn  from  first-hand  testimony  what  these 
schools  are  trying  to  do,  what  are  the  obstacles  to  be  over- 
come, and  what  are  the  results  already  achieved. 

The  information  contained  in  the  report  was  con- 
tributed, in  answer  to  the  following  questionnaire,  by 
principals  and  teachers  employed  in  the  schools  considered. 

Questionnaire 
{To  he  answered  by  teachers) 

1.  The  Aim.  What  do  you  mean  to  accomplish  by 
the  activity? 

2.  The  Equipment.  What  does  it  consist  of?  Is  it 
adequate?    If  not,  what  more  do  you  need? 

3.  Supplies.  Are  your  suppHes  adequate  in  kind, 
quality,  and  quantity?    If  not,  specify  deficiencies. 

*  Educational  Review,  January,  1916.  "A  Report  on  the  Gary  Experi- 
ment in  New  York  City." 

5 


DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 


4.  The  Course  of  Study.  In  what  respect  have  you 
modified,  or  supplemented,  or  improved  upon  the  pre- 
scribed course  of  study?  What  suggestions  for  further 
modifications  have  you  to  make?  If  no  official  course  of 
study  exists,  give  an  outUne  of  the  course  you  have  devised. 

5.  Summary.  Give  a  list  or  summary  of  what  children 
have  accomplished  during  the  present  term.  What 
products  have  you  sold?  What  income  have  you  derived 
from  such  sales?    What  did  you  do  with  the  money? 

6.  Handicaps.  What  have  been  the  chief  handicaps 
to  success?  What  remedies  do  you  suggest?  State 
possible  ways  of  improving  your  activity. 

7.  Grades.  Give  the  grades  of  children  assigned  to 
your  activity. 

{To  be  answered  by  the  Principal.) 

1.  How  often  do  children  change  from  one  special 
activity  to  another?  Support  your  scheme  of  alternation 
by  educational  arguments. 

2.  Explain  your  method  of  assigning  children  to 
special  activities.  To  what  extent  do  you  permit  children 
to  choose?  In  what  order  do  children  take  drawing, 
science,  shop?  Defend  your  scheme.  Do  you  keep 
records  of  the  assignments  of  individual  children,  so  that 
at  any  moment  you  can  tell  what  a  child  has  had? 
Describe  these  records  with  illustrations. 

3.  Submit  three  samples  of  each  kind  of  special  blank 
or  report  devised  by  you  for  the  administration  of  your 
school. 

4.  Mention  any  improvement  you  can  suggest  in  the 
matter  of: 

a.  The  general  program. 

b.  The  management  of  special  activities. 

c.  The  academic  subjects. 


INTRODUCTION :   QUESTIONNAIRE 


d.  The  welfare  of  teachers,  children,  or  the  school  as  a 
whole. 

The  replies  received  from  several  hundred  teachers  and 
six  principals  are  a  candid  record  of  our  experience, 
including  errors  and  handicaps.  The  material  was 
assembled  primarily  for  use  in  conferences,  in  the  hope 
that  what  is  good  might  be  made  better,  and  what 
is  ill  might  be  cured.  Many  of  our  difficulties  are  due  to 
premature  reorganization,  most  of  the  schools  having 
gone  on  the  new  program  before  proper  equipment 
and  supplies  had  been  secured.  But  in  spite  of  errors 
and  hindrances,  this  report  shows  that  many  important 
achievements,  impossible  in  an  ordinary  school,  must  be 
credited  to  these  schools  as  a  result  of  only  five  months 
of  operation.  The  combined  register  of  the  six  schools 
on  May  31,  1916,  was  17,406. 

In  organizing  the  material  under  the  several  captions 
given  in  the  questionnaire,  the  writer  does  not  mean  to 
convey  the  impression  that  such  things  are  peculiar  to 
the  duphcate  school.  The  object  was  rather  to  help  the 
teachers  to  think  out  their  problems.  Lack  of  definite 
aim  is  one  of  the  commonest  faults  of  teaching.  It 
would  do  any  teacher  good  to  stop  long  enough  to  con- 
sider his  aims.  In  the  duplicate  school  it  is  absolutely 
essential  that  he  do  so,  for  one  of  the  prime  objects  of  the 
organization  is  to  develop  the  initiative  of  teacher  and 
pupil.  The  equipment  is  itemized  to  let  the  pubhc  know 
what  the  teachers  have  to  work  with.  The  handicaps 
are  given  because  we  intend  to  remove  them;  and  to  do 
so  we  must  know  what  they  are.  Handicaps  are  not 
peculiar  to  the  duplicate  school.  Similar  troubles  beset 
all  teachers.  The  writer  has  had  thirteen  years  of 
experience  as  a  classroom  teacher  in  New  York,  and  he 
knows  whereof  he  speaks.    In  fact,  there  is  not  a  single 


8  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

feature  of  the  duplicate  school  that  is  not  familiar  school 
practice  somewhere.  The  only  thing  that  is  new  is  the 
integration  of  its  several  parts  and  processes. 

The  report  covers  only  those  features  of  the  instruc- 
tion, organization,  and  management  which  are  charac- 
teristic of  the  duplicate  schools.  The  standard  academic 
subjects — English,  mathematics,  history,  geography — are 
not  displaced  by  anything  in  the  new  form  of  organiza- 
tion. They  are,  however,  taught  by  the  departmental 
system,  and  supplemented  by  auditorium  exercises,  play, 
and  shop  work.  It  is  too  soon  to  attempt  to  measure 
the  effect  of  the  dupUcate  organization  on  the  regular 
studies.  In  five  of  the  schools  I  have  personally  made 
no  inspection  of  these  subjects  since  the  reorganization 
was  effected.  I  merely  remark  that,  since  the  traditional 
subjects  have  about  the  same  time  allowance  they  had 
before  and  are  taught  by  specialists  and  supplemented 
by  other  activities,  it  would  be  strange  indeed  if  they 
suffered  harm.  On  the  contrary,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  regular  subjects  should  have  a  far  better 
chance  of  yielding  their  best  fruits  in  a  school  that 
emphasizes  initiative,  motivation,  application,  and  self- 
help,  than  in  a  school  where  teaching  is  predominantly  a 
matter  of  juggling  words. 

Following  is  a  table  of  special  activities,  showing  the 
schools  in  which  they  are  taught: 


AUDITORIUM  EXERCISES 


TABLE  OF  SPECIAL  ACTIVITIES. 


Subject 


Schools 


6        28       42       44       45       53     Total 


Auditorium 

Domestic  Science 

Drawing 

Nature 

Sewing 

Farming 

Millinery 

Library 

Science 

Carpenter 

Cabinet  Shop 

Music 

Manual  Training 

Play,  Physical  Training 

Commercial 

Machine  Shop 

Pottery 

Sheet  Metal 

Printing 

Total 


11 


10 


13 


12 


14 


12 


THE  AUDITORIUM 


1.  The  Aim     The  following  aims  are  enumerated  by 
the  several  teachers  in  charge  of  auditoriums: 

(1)  The  correlation  of  academic  subjects. 

(2)  The  socialization  of  the  child  through  the 
development  of  social  responsibility  and  social  service. 

(3)  The  development  of  initiative,  confidence,  self- 
control. 

(4)  Unification  of  the  school  through  cooperation 
with  classroom  work  and  the  promotion  of  school 
spirit. 

(5)  The  cultivation  of  individual  morality,  appre- 
ciation of  good  music,  a  broader  knowledge  of  the 


10  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

outside  world,  and  self-expression  in  literature  and 
music. 

(6)  To  deepen  the  interest  and  knowledge  of 
children  in  classroom  work  by  means  of  phonograph, 
piano-player,  lantern  slides,  dramatizations,  lectures, 
stories,  etc. 

(7)  To  vivify  direct  teaching  by  the  indirect  method 
of  the  auditorium,  such  indirect  teaching  having 
often  greater  significance  than  direct  instruction, 
though  its  value  cannot  be  measured  by  quantitative 
standards. 

2 .  The  Equipment.  A  typical  auditorium  equipment 
includes  the  following: 

1  Grand  piano. 

1  Oak  table  with  drawer. 

1  Teacher's  desk. 

1  Cabinet  with  drawers  for  stereopticon  slides. 

1  Cabinet  for  stereographs. 

1  Movable  blackboard. 

1  American  flag  on  staff. 

1  Pathescope  or  other  moving  picture  machine. 

1  Stereopticon  lantern. 
1,000  Lantern  slides. 
1,000  Stereographs. 
48  Stereoscopes. 

1  Victrola. 
29  Double  Phonograph  records. 

Film  service  from  Pathescope  Company  (3 
reels  a  week). 

8  Movable  coat  racks. 

1  Screen  on  roller. 

1  Bible  stand. 

1  Music  stand. 

1  dozen  movable  chairs. 

3.  Exercises.  One  school  has  a  program  of  exercises 
that  repeats  in  cycles  of  eight  different  activities,  as 
follows:  Music  and  literature;  music  and  geography; 
music  and  ethics;  music  and  history;  music  and  hygiene; 


AUDITORIUM  EXERCISES  11 

music  and  science;  music  and  current  events;  music  and 
recreation. 

(1)  Literature.  This  work  may  be  divided  into  two 
parts, — work  done  by  teachers,  and  work  done  by  pupils. 
The  teacher's  work  consists  of  lectures  or  talks  on  literary 
masterpieces,  such  as  the  plays  of  Shakespeare,  the 
IHad,  classic  myths,  Grimm's  Fairy  Tales,  Kipling's 
Just  So  stories,  animal  stories,  etc.  The  work  done  by 
pupils  consists  of  the  reading  of  original  compositions, 
recitation  of  memory  selections,  declamations,  and 
dramatizations.  In  a  single  school  sixteen  plays  were 
given  in  one  term,  in  which  182  different  children  had 
parts  to  play.  All  hoHdays  were  celebrated  by  a  lecture 
or  a  dramatization,  or  both. 

(2)  Geography.  In  all  grades  where  geography  is 
prescribed,  the  auditorium  work  in  that  subject  is  cor- 
related with  classroom  teaching.  Much  of  the  work 
consists  of  lectures  by  teachers  or  pupils,  lantern  and 
moving  picture  illustrations,  and  original  compositions 
embodying  the  result  of  research  work. 

(3)  Ethics.  As  far  as  possible,  in  the  school  above 
referred  to,  the  work  in  ethics  is  combined  with  work 
in  hterature.  The  sources  for  ethical  stories  were  chiefly 
these: 

(a)  Shedlock's  "Art  of  the  Story  Teller." 

(b)  Andersen's  Tales. 

(c)  Tolstoi's  Stories. 

(d)  The  "Golden  Rule"  Series. 

(e)  Baldwin's  "Fifty  Famous  Stories." 

(f)  "American  Book  of  Golden  Deeds." 

(g)  Chutter's  "The  Art  Literature  Reader." 
(h)  Bryant's  "Stories  to  Tell  Children." 

(i)  Cabot's  "Ethics  for  Children." 


12  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

(4)  Hygiene.  This  work  consists  of  practical  lectures 
on  cleanliness,  posture,  and  other  similar  topics.  Liter- 
ature from  the  Board  of  Health  is  distributed  to  pupils 
and  sent  home  to  their  parents.  Lectures  have  been 
delivered  to  upper  grade  classes  by  physicians  and  nurses 
on  such  topics  as  bodily  health,  care  of  teeth,  proper 
posture,  proper  clothing,  care  of  eyes,  baby  week,  mos- 
quito week,  etc. 

(5)  History  and  Civics.  Four  lectures  were  de- 
Uvered  in  one  school  on  civics  by  State  Senator  Hamilton 
and  four  by  Assemblyman  Fertig.  In  another  school 
lectures  are  delivered  once  a  week  by  representatives  from 
city  departments,  private  organizations,  and  public 
service  corporations.  Among  the  organizations  heard 
from  by  the  children  are  these: 

(a)  Police,   Fire,   and  Tenement  House  Depart- 
ments. 

(b)  Electrical  Department  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. 

(c)  The  Board  of  Aldermen. 

(d)  New  York  Telephone  Company. 

(e)  S.  P.  C.  C.   (Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Children). 

(f)  A.  I.  C.  P.  (Association  for  the  Improvement 
of  the  Condition  of  the  Poor). 

(g)  The  machine  shop  of  the  school, 
(h)  The  manual  training  shop. 

(6)  Science.  Some  of  the  science  teachers  have  con- 
tributed illustrated  lectures  on  subjects  taught  in  their 
laboratories.  In  nature  study  there  have  been  lectures 
for  first  year  pupils  on  the  cat,  dog,  horse,  cow;  for 
second  year  children,  on  the  owl,  camel,  horse,  cow; 
for  third  year  pupils,  on  the  tiger,  lion,  buffalo,  bee; 
for  fourth  year  children,  on  the  spider,  clam,  oyster, 
turtle;   for  fifth  year  pupils,  on  the  sponge,  pearl,  mos- 


-"fi- 


AUDITORIUM  EXERCISES  13 

quito,  fly;  for  sixth  year  children,  on  the  silkworm,  fly, 
mosquito. 

(7)  Current  Events.  There  have  been,  in  one 
school,  illustrated  lectures  on  the  building  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  the  Making  of  a  Newspaper,  Electroplating 
Process,  the  Building  of  a  Bridge,  the  Great  European 
War.  On  special  occasions  there  are  appropriate  talks. 
Thus  on  Memorial  Day,  there  was  a  lecture  on  Farragut ; 
on  Lincoln's  Birthday  there  was  a  lecture  on  Monuments 
of  Lincoln,  with  illustrations. 

(8)  Recreation.  In  many  schools  children  present 
folk  dances  on  the  stage.  They  also  present  dramatiza- 
tions of  all  sorts,  many  of  the  plays  being  written  by  the 
children  themselves. 

(9)  Mime.  The  theory  of  music  is  taught  in  class- 
rooms by  specialists  and  supplemented  by  choral  work  in 
the  auditorium.  Usually  one  of  the  auditorium  teachers 
has  charge  of  the  musical  part  of  the  program.  In 
one  school  the  following  songs  were  sung  in  the  auditorium 
by  the  several  grades: 

Eighth  Grade. — O  Rest  in  the  Lord;  To  America; 
Vesper  Hymn;  Who  Is  Sylvia?;  I  Know  a  Bank; 
Hark,  Hark,  the  Lark;  Russian  Hymn;  The  Flag. 

Seventh  Grade. — A  Hymn;  I  Know  a  Bank; 
Hark,  Hark,  the  Lark;  To  Thee,  America;  The  Lord 
is  My  Light;  Merry  Heart. 

Sixth  Year.— These  Were  Four  Lilies;  A  Rose 
Song;  To  Thee,  America;  Hark,  Hark,  the  Lark; 
The  Star;  My  Song;  Soft  Shell  Crab. 

Fifth  Year.— Hearing;  The  Woodpecker;  The 
Katydid;  A  Spring  Song;  Questions;  To  a  Daisy; 
What  Robin  Told  Me. 

Fourth  Year.— Indian    Lullaby;    Winter    Song; 


14  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

Katydid;   The  Children   in  Japan;  Smelling;   The 
Violet. 

Third  Year. — A  Spring  Song;  Waiting  to  Grow; 
Children  in  Japan;  The  Ginger  Cat;  Pussy  Willow; 
Snowflakes;  The  Owl;  Brownies'  Umbrellas. 

Second  Year. — Snowflakes;  A  Spring  Song;  The 
Sandman;  The  Owl;  Little  Bo  Peep;  Wing  Foo; 
Cradle  Song. 

First  Year. — Honk,  Honk;  Teddy  Bear;  Hurdy 
Gurdy  Man;  Once  I  Got  Into  a  Boat. 

The  children  of  this  school  gave  a  dozen  concerts, 
consisting  of  duets,  trios,  quartets,  chorus  work,  and 
playing  of  various  musical  instruments,  such  as  violin, 
'cello,  and  zither.  Vocal  and  instrumental  phonographic 
concerts  were  also  provided,  the  children  loaning  many 
of  the  records.  I  attended  one  of  these  the  day  after  I 
had  heard  a  performance  of  Aida  in  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House.  The  concert  by  chance  consisted  of  the 
telling  of  the  story  of  the  opera  by  a  child,  followed  by 
extracts  from  the  opera  rendered  by  the  Metropolitan 
artists. 

One  teacher,  in  his  report  on  the  auditorium,  says: 
"  It  is  difficult  to  measure  what  the  children  have  accom- 
plished. Perhaps  it  may  best  be  shown  by  their  eagerness 
and  desire  to  come  to  the  auditorium.  They  seem  to 
regard  this  period  as  a  treat.  Judged  by  this  test,  the 
activity  seems  to  have  accomplished  its  aims." 

4.  The  Grades.  In  the  following  table  are  shown 
the  grades  that  are  represented  in  each  auditorium 
period  in  each  of  the  six  schools.  The  schools  that 
show  only  six  periods  use  a  program  with  fifty-minute 
periods,  while  those  that  have  eight  periods  use  the 
forty-minute  periods. 


AUDITORIUM  EXERCISES 


15 


AUDITORIUM 


"3 

Periods  and  Grades 

^ 
^ 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

6 

2A-3B 

4A-6B 

7A-8B 

7A-8B 

4A-6B 

2A-3B 

28 

1A-3B 

7A-8B 

7A-8B 

1A-3B 

4A-5A 

5B-6B 

3B-5A 

5B-6B 

42 

6B-7B 

4A-6B 

6B-7B 

3B-6A 

1A-3B 

8A-8B 

8A-8B 

1A-3B 

44 

8A-8B 

4A-4B 

2A-2B 

7A-7B 

3A-3B 

5A-5B 

lA-lB 

6A-6B 

45 

5A-8B 

1A-4B 

5A-8B 

1A-4B 

5A-8B 

1B-4A 

4B-8B 

1A-4A 

53 

3B-6B 

2A-3B 

6B-8B 

6A-8B 

2A-3B 

4A-6B 

Much  has  been  made  by  opponents  of  the  duplicate 
plan  of  the  alleged  impossibility  of  doing  profitable  work 
where  so  many  grades  are  taught  together.  It  is  quite 
common  to  find  in  an  assembly  of  the  traditional  schools 
as  many  as  eight  grades.  These  sing  choruses  together, 
listen  to  recitations  of  pupils,  and  hear  talks  by  principals 
teachers,  and  visitors.  The  largest  number  of  grades 
found  in  any  group  in  the  above  table  is  eight,  while  one 
school  has  no  more  than  two  grades  present  at  any  time. 

5.  Handicaps.  A  significant  feature  of  these  reports 
is  that  some  teachers  devote  nearly  all  their  space  to  a 
summary  of  achievements  and  constructive  criticism, 
while  others  occupy  most  of  the  room  with  complaints 
and  negative  criticism.  Yet  they  all  have  substantially 
the  same  opportunity.  The  success  of  auditorium  work 
depends  very  largely  upon  the  ability  and  attitude  of 
those  in  charge.  Teachers  who  have  the  necessary 
breadth  of  knowledge  and  sympathy  and  possess  social 
vision  are  enthusiastic  about  this  feature  of  the  duplicate 
school.  Those  who  cannot  or  will  not  see  the  meaning 
of  it  all,  fret  about  hours,  and  wraps,  and  seats,  and 
find  no  joy  in  the  business.    As  soon  as  possible  such 


16  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

teachers  will  receive  more  congenial  assignments.  The 
theory  of  the  duplicate  school  assumes  that  we  have 
specialists  for  each  activity  who  are  in  sympathy  with 
its  aims  and  possess  the  necessary  skill  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  such  aims. 

The  handicaps  enumerated  by  the  several  auditorium 
reports  are  as  follows:  (1)  Not  enough  teachers;  (2) 
Too  many  grades;  (3)  Care  of  wraps;  (4)  Unadjusted 
seats;  (5)  Poor  ventilation;  (6)  Smtchboard  for  lights 
in  the  hall;  (7)  Lack  of  light-proof  transoms;  (8) 
Drafts;  (9)  No  plug  in  the  floor  for  pathescope;  (10) 
Lateness;  (11)  Period  too  long  (50  min.);  (12)  Pillars 
in  the  room;  (13)  Too  many  changes  in  the  auditorium 
groups. 

Many  of  these  complaints  are  well  founded.  In 
winter,  when  the  fans  are  running,  the  ventilation  of  the 
modern  auditorium  is  good;  in  warm  weather,  when 
these  fans  stop,  the  ventilation  is  poor.  While  the  room 
was  in  use  only  fifteen  minutes  a  day,  the  question  of 
ventilation  was  comparatively  unimportant;  now  that 
the  room  is  in  continuous  use,  ventilation  is  all  important. 

It  is  possible,  as  shown  in  the  case  of  PubUc  School  44, 
to  have  assemblies  with  only  two  grades  present;  but  in 
order  to  accomplish  this,  other  things,  possibly  more 
important,  have  to  be  sacrificed.  It  is  quite  possible 
to  have,  during  the  same  period,  exercises  adapted  to 
different  groups  of  children  present  at  an  assembly. 
For  instance,  one  teacher  may  tell  a  story  suitable  for 
first-year  pupils.  If  third-year  pupils  are  present  they 
will  gladly  listen  to  the  story.  This  may  be  followed  by 
a  song  for  third-year  children.  Then  there  may  be 
dramatization,  or  victrola  music,  or  lantern  slides,  which 
will  be  equally  interesting  to  all. 


DOMESTIC  SCIENCE  17 


Where  lockers  have  not  been  provided  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  care  for  the  children's  wraps,  immediate 
steps  should  of  course  be  taken  to  remedy  the  defect. 
There  is  a  solution  to  this  problem  of  wraps,  and  there 
is  no  good  reason  why  the  board  of  education  should 
justify  further  complaint.  To  avoid  carrying  wraps, 
children  will  have  to  deposit  their  clothing  in  the  place 
where  they  will  be  during  the  last  period  of  a  session. 
This  means  that  there  must  be  in  or  near  the  auditorium 
lockers  to  accommodate  all  the  children  that  assemble 
there  during  a  given  period.  The  yard  also  must  have 
lockers  for  one  division;  and  each  classroom,  shop,  and 
studio  must  have  locker  room  for  as  many  children  as  it 
holds.  In  case  of  a  fire-drill  during  inclement  weather, 
a  preliminary  signal  is  given  to  send  children  where  their 
wraps  are.  This  has  to  be  done  in  the  traditional  school 
also  for  all  departmental  pupils.  In  case  of  a  real  emer- 
gency, the  children  would  of  course  be  sent  to  a  place  of 
safety  without  wraps. 

The  matter  of  seats  is  not  easy  to  remedy.  The 
duplicate  school  is  no  different  in  this  respect  from  any 
other.  The  auditorium  of  a  school  is  meant  to  be  used 
at  night  for  lectures  to  adults  or  meetings  of  parents. 
The  seats  are  therefore  rather  too  large  for  children. 
If  they  are  made  to  fit  children  they  are  too  small  for 
adults.  A  compromise  is  all  we  can  hope  for;  that  is, 
a  seat  reasonably  comfortable  for  children,  even  if  it 
cramps  adults. 

DOMESTIC  SCIENCE 

1.  Aim.  Here  is  the  way  the  aims  are  enumerated 
by  the  teacher  of  the  school  that  has  operated  longest 
under  the  duplicate  plan: 


18  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

(1)  To  have  children  become  familiar  with  house- 
hold utensils  and  accustomed  to  their  use. 

(2)  To  give  practice  in  preparing  food  in  quanti- 
ties sufficient  for  an  average  family. 

(3)  To  teach  economy  in  buying  and  preparing  food. 

(4)  To  teach  children  the  best  ways  of  keeping 
themselves  and  their  homes  clean  and  sanitary. 

(5)  To  give  practice  in  combining  foods  so  as  to 
supply  all  the  needs  of  the  body. 

(6)  To  have  children  appreciate  the  necessity,  in 
a  lunchroom,  of  fixing  the  selling  price  of  food  in 
relation  to  the  expenses  involved. 

(7)  To  teach  color  harmony  for  home  decoration. 

2.  Equipment.    A    typical    equipment    is  something 
like  the  following: 

(1)  Cooking  tables  with  cupboard  and  drawer  for 
utensils,  for  about  24  children. 

(2)  Cupboards  for  class  utensils,  dishes,  and  food 
supplies. 

(3)  Two  gas  ranges. 

(4)  Equipment  for  table  setting — table  linen, 
silver,  dishes,  chairs,  etc. 

(5)  Apparatus  for  cleaning  and  house  work — 
brushes,  cleaning  cloths,  boiler. 

(6)  Laundry  equipment — tubs,  washboards,  towel 
racks,  ironing  boards  and  stands. 

(7)  Home  nursing — couch,  bed  linen,  bandages. 

(8)  Refrigerator. 

Public  School  45  has  added  to  the  above  out  of  the 
profits  of  the  kitchen,  or  a  private  purse: 

(9)  An  electric  dishwasher. 

(10)  An  electric  towel  washer. 

(11)  Steam  table. 

(12)  Coffee  percolator. 

(13)  Tea  wagon. 

(14)  Water  cooler. 

(15)  Cash  register. 

(16)  Kitchen  scales. 


DOMESTIC  SCIENCE  19 


3.  Supplies.  The  supplies  are  purchased  and  paid 
for  by  the  teacher,  who  renders  a  bill  in  triplicate  to 
the  department  of  education  at  the  end  of  the  month. 
In  due  time — usually  in  a  month  or  so — she  receives  a 
check  from  the  finance  department.  One  teacher  com- 
plains that  "  the  supplies  are  inadequate  on  account 
of  insufficient  allowance.  The  present  rate  is  IJi 
cents  per  child  per  lesson;  2J^  cents  would  be  better." 
In  schools  having  service  kitchens  where  food  is 
sold,  part  of  the  supplies  are  paid  for  out  of  current 
receipts. 

4.  Course  of  Study.  Two  teachers  have  followed 
the  prescribed  course.  All  the  rest  report  modifications, 
either  slight  or  radical. 

(1)  "I  have  changed  the  course  by  teaching  quick 
breads  at  the  end  of  the  seventh  year  instead  of  at  the 
beginning,  and  by  teaching  yeast  breads  m  the  eighth 
year  instead  of  the  seventh." 

(2)  A  school  with  service  kitchen  reports: 

"The  present  course  of  study  is  planned  for  four  terms' 
work,  consisting  of  a  lesson  per  week,  with  preparation  of 
food  in  small  quantities.  As  my  pupils  come  daily  for 
a  period  of  thirteen  weeks,  and  as  they  go  alternately  to 
the  lunchroom  and  the  theory  room — the  class  being 
divided  in  half  for  that  purpose — that  course  cannot  be 
used.  The  work  in  the  lunchroom  consists  solely -of  the 
preparation  of  the  lunch,  and  the  constant  clearing  away 
of  accumulated  soiled  dishes,  etc.  Girls  are  also  trained 
to  take  charge  of  the  cash-register  during  the  time  when 
lunches  are  sold. 

"The  work  in  the  theory  room  is  correlated  as  much  as 
possible  with  the  work  in  the  kitchen,  as  costs,  nutritive 
value  and  methods  of  preparation  of  foods,  sanitation, 
menus,  etc.,  are  constantly  discussed;  in  addition,  other 
knowledge  needed  by  a  homemaker,  such  as  proper  com- 
bination of  colors  used  in  a  home,  proper  methods  of 
cleaning,  etc.,  is  imparted.    One  class  also  keeps  a  daily 


20  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

and   weekly   record    of   expenditures,    income,    number 
served,  etc.,  on  blanks  printed  in  the  school." 

5.  Handicaps.  "  Not  time  enough "  is  the  com- 
plaint of  several.  Two  teachers  suggest  that  children 
be  allowed  to  remain  in  the  kitchen  all  of  the  morning 
session  or  all  of  the  afternoon  session.  The  first  class 
in  the  morning  never  sees  the  completed  food.  One  of 
these  teachers  also  wants  a  large  storeroom,  so  that  food 
may  be  purchased  in  quantities  and  for  less  cost. 

6.  Grades.  Two  schools  include  only  the  7th  and 
8th  years;  one  has  grades  4B-8B;  two  have  5A-8B; 
and  one  has  6B-8B. 

DRAWING 

1.  Aim. 

(1)  To  give  children  the  ability  to  draw  rapidly  and 
accurately  simple  objects  and  groups  of  objects  in- 
volving the  principles  of  perspective. 

(2)  To  teach  good  color  combinations  and  their 
appHcations. 

(3)  To  cultivate  appreciation  of  good  art. 

(4)  To  enable  children  to  make  simple  working 
drawings  and  to  construct  geometric  forms. 

(5)  To  make  such  occasional  free-hand  sketches 
as  mechanics  are  called  upon  to  make. 

(6)  To  arouse  an  interest  in  the  subject. 

(7)  To  develop  the  power  to  appreciate  and  enjoy 
beauty  and  perfection  in  things  about  us,  whether 
they  be  the  works  of  God  or  man. 

(8)  To  make  drawing  a  ready  means  of  expression. 

(9)  To  cultivate  good  taste  and  originality. 

2.  Equipment.  Thus  far  the  authorities  have  pro- 
vided no  special  room  for  drawing.  In  all  cases  the 
teachers  are  using  a  conventional  classroom  with  sta- 
tionary seats  and  desks. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  DRAWING  21 

The  equipment  includes  the  following  items: 

(1)  Clay  models. 

(2)  Wooden  models  (made  in  school  shop). 

(3)  Paper  models  (supplied  by  teachers). 

(4)  Drawing  boards,  T-squares,  rulers. 
One  teacher  has  added  to  the  above: 

(5)  Eight  easels  (made  in  workshop). 

(6)  Six  trays  (made  in  workshop). 

(7)  Five  large  bulletin  boards  (made  in  shop). 

(8)  An  assortment  of  bottles,  jugs,  vases,  etc. 

All  the  teachers  properly  criticize  the  inadequacy  of 
these  equipments.     Here  is  a  schedule  of  their  wants: 

(1)  Shades  adjustable  at  the  top  as  well  as  at  the 
bottom. 

(2)  Model  stands. 

(3)  A  sink  and  running  water  for  color  work. 

(4)  Adjustable  drawing  tables  and  stools. 

(5)  Sets  of  mechanical  drawing  instruments. 

3.  Supplies.  Some  teachers  are  satisfied  and  some 
are  not.    Among  the  wants  recorded  are  these: 

(1)  Colored  charcoal  paper  for  rapid  sketching  by 
teacher  and  children;  (2)  Large  gray  manilla  paper, 
19"  by  24"  for  use  of  teacher;  (3)  Prompt  delivery; 
(4)  Small  sponges  for  cleaning  paint  boxes;  (5) 
Pieces  of  chamois  for  making  erasures  on  charcoal 
drawings;  (6)  Paper  and  chamois  stumps  for  char- 
coal work,  and  stump  powder;  (7)  Tempora  water 
colors;  (8)  Individual  sets  of  colored  crayons;  (9) 
Scissors. 

4.  Course  of  Study.  Of  the  sixteen  teachers  report- 
ing, eight  have  followed  the  prescribed  course  without 
modification;  two  have  supplemented  it  with  additional 
exercises;  five  have  made  modifications  under  the  advice 
of  special  teachers  of  drawing,  and  one — a  teacher  of 
trade  drawing — has  made  his  own  course,  under  the 
direction  of  the  principal. 


22  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

The  modifications  consist  of  a  condensation  of  the 
material  on  account  of  a  reduction  in  the  time  allowance. 
The  course  ^as  supplemented  in  the  following  ways : 

(J)  Studies  of  animal  life  in  the  Zoo.  One  class 
made  eleven  trips  in  one  term  for  sketching  animals. 

(2)  Landscape  sketching.  Frequent  trips  to  parks 
and  fields  for  this  purpose. 

(3)  Use  of  copies  of  landscape  forms,  animals, 
illustrations,  posters,  etc. 

(4)  Study  of  poster  advertising. 

(5)  Elementary  design. 

(6)  Advanced  pupils  organized  into  art  clubs  for 
work  in  charcoal  and  water  color. 

I  Trade  Drawing  (10  weeks) 

(1)  Problems  to  illustrate  essential  definitions. 

(2)  Laying  out  the  sheet — border  and  cutting  lines. 

(3)  Lettering,  figures,  fractions. 

(4)  Alphabet  of  lines — straight  line  work. 

(5)  Basket-weave — straight  line  work;  measure- 
ments and  use  of  triangles. 

(6)  Application  of  basket-weave;  exercise  for  draw- 
ing lines  of  definite  length. 

(7)  Box  made  of  solid  block,  sides  and  bottom 
half  inch  thick;  three  views  and  isometric;  completely 
dimensioned. 

(8)  Rectangular  object  like  inverted  T,  3  views 
and  isometric,  completely  dimensioned. 

(9)  Rectangular  object,  3  views  and  isometric, 
completely  dimensioned. 

(10)  Assembly  drawing  of  box,  5  pieces;  3  views 
and  isometric. 

(11)  Object  with  oblique  surfaces;  3  views  and 
isometric. 

(12)  Same. 

(13)  Curved  work,  use  of  instruments. 

(14)  Cylindrical  object;  3  views  and  isometric. 

(15)  Same. 

(16)  Cast-iron  bracket;  3  views  and  isometric. 


NATURE  STUDY  TEACHERS  23 

5.  Handicaps 

(1)  Inadequate  seating  capacity,  two  children 
being  required  to  sit  in  one  seat;  (2)  Traveling  from 
room  to  room  instead  of  having  a  specially  equipped 
studio;  (3)  "Discontinuous  work,"  that  is,  assign- 
ment of  children  for  thirteen  wfeeks,  then  sending 
them  to  some  other  activity  (this  complaint  comes 
from  a  number  of  teachers) ;  (4)  Two  or  moi^e  teachers 
occupying  the  same  room;  (5)  Short  periods;  (6)  Lack 
of  storage  room;  (7)  Stair  duty  (shortens  period  by 
ten  minutes). 

6.  Grades  (1A-8B). 

NATURE  STUDY 

1.  Aim.  As  conceived  by  the  teachers  of  the  subject, 
the  composite  aims  of  nature  study  comprise  the  follow- 
ing items: 

(1)  To  cultivate  a  love  of  animal  and  plant  life. 
(This-  is  expressed  in  various  terms,  such  as  interest^ 
desire  to  know,  appreciatiorij  kindness  to  animals, 
sympathy,  etc.). 

(2)  Development  of  the  powers  of  observation; 
imagination;  judgment. 

(3)  Correlation  with  geography,  art,  and  language. 

(4)  Information  about  common  things  in  the 
child's  environment,  including  the  interdependence  of 
man  and  nature. 

2.  Equipment.  This  varies  in  different  schools. 
Some  have  as  yet  no  special  equipment  at  all.  In  two 
or  three  cases  nature  study  is  taught  in  the  science 
room,  which  is  equipped  with  demonstration  table  and 
water  and  gas  attachments.    Most  of  the  teachers  have — 

(1)  A  fresh  water  aquarium. 

(2)  Growing  plants. 

(3)  Specimens,  including  shells,  coral,  moss,  nests, 
wood. 


24        DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

(4)  Sets  of  specimens  from  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History  (which  may  be  had  for  the  asking). 

3.  Supplies.  Many  teachers  say  they  have  none,  by 
which  they  mean  that  the  board  of  education  furnishes 
none.     Of  the  needs  recorded  the  following  are  examples: 

(1)  Charts  of  animal  and  plant  life  (these  are  on 
the  list) ;  (2)  Metal  trays  for  growing  plants  (can  be 
made  by  our  sheet  metal  shop);  (3)  Magnifying 
glasses  for  use  of  children;  (4)  Loose-leaf  note  books; 
(5)  Stereoscopes  and  stereographs;  (6)  Aquar>um; 
(7)  Terrarium  (can  be  built  by  manual  training 
shop);  (8)  Test  tubes,  bottles,  thermometers,  iodine, 
etc.  (these  are  on  the  list.) 

It  is  of  course  the  intention  of  the  board  of  education 
to  give  these  teachers  all  the  equipment  and  supplies 
needed  for  the  best  work. 

4.  Course  of  Study.  Most  of  the  teachers  have 
followed  the  course  ^f  study  prescribed  for  ordinary 
schools.  Others  have  supplemented  the  course  by 
dramatizations,  talks  on  specimens  brought  in  by  children, 
etc.  One  teacher  used  Gulick  and  Jewett's  "  Town  and 
City  "  as  a  text  for  a  course  in  sanitation  and  hygiene 
in  the  sixth  year,  for  which  grade  no  official  course  of 
study  exists.  In  another  school  the  nature  study  of  the 
fifth  year  was  reviewed  and  extended  in  the  sixth  year. 
In  one  case  an  elementary  course  in  agriculture  was 
devised,  including  the  following  topics: 

(1)  Origin  of  soil;  (2)  Use  of  soil;  (3)  Tillage  of 
soil;  (4)  Moisture  of  soil;  (5)  What  plants  do;  (6) 
Classes  of  plants;  (7)  Food  of  plants;  (8)  Color  of 
plants;  (9)  Motion  of  plants;  (10)  Plants  and  their 
partners. 

In  another  school  this  procedure  obtained:  The 
prescribed  course  of  study  was  planned  for  a  period  of 


SCIENCE  TEACHERS  25 


about  one  hour  a  week,  and  as  each  one  of  the  classes 
receives  instruction  for  forty-five  minutes  a  day  every 
day  in  the  week,  the  course  is  inadequate.  Therefore 
the  course  in  each  grade  was  supplemented  by  topics 
taken  from  higher  grades.  ^Iso  specimens  brought  in 
by  the  children  were  studiedX  One  lesson  a  week  was 
given  to  silent  reading,  followed  by  discussion.  Once 
every  two  or  three  weeks  the  children  devoted  a  period 
to  asking  each  other  questions  about  things  they  had  seen. 

5.  Handicaps: 

(1)  "Have  no  room  of  my  own;  specimens  and 
pictures  must  be  carried  about." 

(2)  "Have  too  many  different  children." 

(3)  "Some  subjects  not  interesting  to  children; 
reproduction  not  interesting." 

(4)  "Need  funds  to  buy  supplies  from  day  to  day." 


6.  Grades  (1A-6B). 


SCIENCE 


One  of  the  fundamental  differences  between  the  dupli- 
cate school  and  the  ordinary  school,  is  in  the  teaching 
of  science.  Science  teaching  in  the  elementary  school,  in 
spite  of  notable  recent  improvements  through  the  nature- 
study  movement,  is  still  exceedingly  unsatisfactory. 
The  chief  difficulty  has  been  the  matter  of  teachers  and 
equipment.  The  science  teacher,  to  be  successful,  must 
be  an  expert.  If  he  is  an  expert,  he  will  demand  oppor- 
tunities to  teach  by  the  heuristic  method.  But  this 
means  one  of  two  things:  either  nature  must  be  brought 
into  the  classroom,  or  the  child  must  go  to  nature. 
Under  the  class  system  of  teaching  neither  procedure  is 
possible.  The  school  board  cannot  afford  a  science 
equipment  in  every  room;  and  even  if  the  expense  were 


26  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

not  prohibitive,  such  a  plan  would  be  a  foolish  waste  of 
money.  Neither  is  it  possible  for  all  teachers  to  do 
excursion  work  on  a  large  scale. 

By  departmentalizing  the  instruction  one  or  two 
thoroughly  equipped  laboratories  may  be  provided  for 
real  science  teaching,  and  instructors  properly  trained 
can  do  the  work. 

In  New  York  we  make  a  distinction  between  *'  science" 
and  "nature  study."  Nature  study  is  provided  by  the 
syllabus  for  the  first  five  grades,  while  elementary  science 
is  given  in  the  last  two  years.  Nature  study  is  more  or 
less  informal  and  has  no  equipment  provided  for  it.  It 
is  supposed  to  be  done  by  the  method  of  observation; 
but  frequently  it  is  a  mere  matter  of  telling,  if  it  is  not 
neglected  altogether.  It  has  ends  other  than  those  of 
science,  such,  for  example,  as  the  love  of  nature,  the 
appreciation  of  the  art  side  of  nature,  its  correlation  with 
literature,  etc.  Science  is  taught  in  a  room  provided 
with  a  demonstration  table  containing  gas  and  water 
attachments.  There  are  also  certain  supplies  provided 
for  making  physical  experiments. 

The  science  room,  however,  is  by  no  means  universal. 
Many  schools  do  not  have  departmental  teaching  in  the 
upper  grades,  and  these  could  not  properly  use  a  science 
room  if  they  had  one. 

In  the  duphcate  school  the  distinction  between  science 
and  nature  study  is  not  so  sharply  drawn.  Both  are 
taught  by  experts,  and  both  have  or  will  have  special 
equipment.     Hence,  both  employ  the  method  of  science. 

1.  Aim.  Among  the  aims  of  science  teaching  enum- 
erated by  teachers  of  the  subject  are  these: 

(1)  To  give  the  pupil  some  knowledge  of  the  laws 
of  nature;  and  consequently — 


SCIENCE  TEACHERS  27 

(2)  To  enable  him  to  explain  some  of  the  ordinary 
phenomena  of  his  environment. 

(3)  To  arouse  an  interest  which  will  impel  the 
pupil  to  continue  his  investigations  after  school  days 
are  over. 

(4)  The  application  of  the  principles  of  common 
machines,  devices,  and  instruments  which  the  pupil 
finds  in  his  daily  life. 

(5)  To  enrich  his  fund  of  knowledge  and  enlarge 
the  scope  of  intelligence. 

(6)  To  develop  the  power  of  oral  and  written  ex- 
pression by  the  delivery  of  lectures  on  current  scien- 
tific events  and  written  reports  on  experiments  per- 
formed. 

(7)  To  correlate  with  science  mechanical  and 
illustrative  drawing  as  a  further  means  of  expression. 

(8)  To  develop  the  scientific  spirit  and  habit; 
logical  reasoning  on  established  facts. 

2.  Equipment.  A  science  laboratory  in  Gary,  Indi- 
ana, has  equipment  for  individual  experiments  by 
pupils.  In  New  York  the  duplicate  schools  have  thus 
far  made  use  of  the  science  rooms  as  they  found  them; 
that  is,  with  demonstration  table  for  the  teacher  only. 
The  ingenuity  of  teachers,  however,  has  in  some  cases, 
overcome  the  handicaps  of  equipment  by  the  group 
method  of  instruction.  In  one  school,  for  instance,  half 
a  dozen  groups  may  be  found  at  work  in  different  parts 
of  the  room,  each  engaged  on  a  different  problem.  The 
older  children  make  the  experiments,  the  younger  are 
observers  and  helpers.  They  all  develop  a  very  marked 
degree  of  initiative,  interest,  and  power  of  expression. 

Here  is  a  list  of  articles  supplied  in  an  ordinary  science 
room: 

(1)  Apparatus  for  demonstrating  the  mechanical 
powers,  pressure  of  liquids,  and  the  principles  of 
sound  and  light;  (4)  Static  electricity  outfit;  (5)  Wet 
cells;  (6)   Dry  cells;   (7)   Bells;   (8)   Apparatus  for 


28  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

magnetism;  (9)  General  electrical  equipment;  (10) 
Projecting  lantern  or  balopticon. 

One  teacher  reports  the  need  of  the  following  in  addition 
to  the  above  list: 

1  Transformer;  6  Electromagnets;  3  Telegraph 
sets;  2  St.  Louis  motors;  3  doz.  Push  Buttons; 
1  Magneto;  2  Galvanometers;  3  Voltometers;  3  Am- 
meters; 1  Telephone  transmitter;  9  Tables  (these 
are  being  built  in  the  carpenter  shop). 

Another  wants  an  assortment  of  cheap  tools  to  illus- 
trate the  principles  of  machines,  a  cheap  pump  or  two, 
a  violin,  a  collection  of  mechanical  toys,  electrical  de- 
vices. 

3.  Supplies.  No  clear  distinction  is  made  between 
equipment  and  supplies.  However,  here  are  some  things 
needed:  A  large  supply  of  rubber  and  glass  tubing; 
Florence  flasks;  thistle  tubes;  test  tubes;  and  dry 
batteries.     One  teacher  has  no  lantern. 

4.  Course  of  Study.  Some  schools  have  confined 
themselves  to  the  experiments  prescribed  by  the  syllabus; 
others  have  completed  these  and  gone  far  beyond.  One 
reports  as  follows:  **  Static  electricity  has  been  omitted, 
as  it  has  no  practical  bearing  on  the  electrical  world  or 
the  child's  future.  In  addition  to  the  voltaic  cell,  which 
is  seldom  used,  we  include  various  commercial  types,  such 
as  Carbon  Cylinder,  LeClanche,  Gravity,  Bunsen, 
Samson,  and  Gordon.  We  have  also  included  these 
topics:  Rheostat,  Induction  Coil,  Transformer,  Wiring 
Bells,  Copper  Plating,  etc.  All  abstract  experiments 
were  omitted.  Instead  of  levers,  the  scientific  study  of 
various  types  of  lever-arm  scales  has  been  substituted. 
Gravity  is  studied  by  means  of  scales  depending  on  that 
principle  for  their  operation.    An  attempt  is  made  to 


^ 


f 


SCIENCE  TEACHERS  29 

train  the  motor  sense  in  judging  weight.  A  concrete 
basis  is  thus  given  to  the  abstract  mathematical  tables  of 
weights  and  measures." 

Another  teacher  says:  "As  no  course  of  study  exists 
for  science  in  the  5th  and  6th  years,  I  have  devised  one. 
This  course  treats  of  the  chemistry  of  air,  including  a 
study  of  oxygen,  nitrogen,  hydrogen,  etc.,  sources  and 
uses  of  each." 

In  another  school  the  6th  year  science  is  closely  related 
to  civics,  thus: 

(1)  Overcrowding  of  population. 

(2)  Tenement  House  Department — its  work. 

(3)  Use  of  alcoholic  Hquors — results — prohibition. 

(4)  Unclean  streets — results. 

(5)  Work  and  methods  of  Street  Cleaning  Depart- 
ment. 

(6)  Disposal  of  city  waste. 

(7)  Parks,  playgrounds,  baths,  and  beaches. 

(8)  Fire  prevention — work  of  Fire  Department. 

5.  Handicaps.  Several  teachers  find  fault  with  the 
periodic  method  of  assigning  children  to  science.  They 
think  better  results  would  be  obtained  by  continuous 
study.  While  a  pupil  is  in  science  he  recites  every  day 
in  the  week;  after  thirteen  weeks,  or  some  other  fixed 
period,  he  goes  to  another  activity  like  drawing  or  shop. 
To  make  science  teaching  continuous,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  limit  the  number  of  recitations  to  one  or  two 
per  week. 

Another  says  science  "used  to  count  one-twentieth 
toward  a  pupil's  promotion;  now  it  counts  only  one 
one-hundredth." 

This  is  a  matter  within  the  principal's  control  and  is 
therefore  easily  remedied. 

One  is  annoyed  by  insufficient  equipment  and  two  report 
no  handicaps. 


30  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

6.  Grades.  Some  schools  have  limited  the  work  to 
the  seventh  and  eighth  grades;  others  go  down  as  far 
as  5 A.  The  intention  is  to  give  the  work  to  children 
of  the  last  four  years,  and  to  give  all  the  rest  nature 
study. 

SEWING 

1.  Aim.  The  object  of  this  activity  is  formulated 
collectively  by  th^eachers  in  charge  as  follows: 

(1)  To  have  a  pleasant  place  to  come  to.  (Making 
the  classroom  attractive  is  no  small  part  of  success  in 
teaching.) 

(2)  To  interest  children  in  their  work  so  that  they 
may  do  it  joyfully  after  school  is  over. 

(3)  To  teach  the  making  of  garments  that  may  be 
used. 

(4)  To  teach  the  selection  of  materials  and  develop 
taste  in  decoration  of  dresses. 

(5)  Ethical  aims;  neatness,  accuracy,  economy, 
originality,  patience,  perseverance. 

(6)  Summaly:  "We  are  trying  to  develop  careful,^ 
economical,  self-reliant  needlewomen,  independent  in 
the  matter  of  making  their  own  clothes." 

2.  Equipment.     A  typical  equipment  is  as  follows: 

6  New  Home  Sewing  Machines. 
10  Small  tables. 
42  Sewing  chairs. 
15  Lap  boards. 
'  1  Movable  blackboard. 
1  Set  of  lockers. 
6  Stools  for  machines. 

1  Large  15  ft.  cutting  table. 

2  Screens. 

6  3^  doz.  Scissors. 

}/2  doz.  Shears. 

8  Buttonhole  scissorg. 


SEWING  TEACHERS  ^  31 


2  doz.  Emery  bsigs. 
1  Blackboard  ruler. 
1  Pair  blackboard  compasses. 

3.  Supplies.  Some  schools  are  not  pleased  with  the 
supplies  furnished.  For  instance:  **  The  suppUes  were 
not  adequate  in  kind  or  quality.  The  materials  were 
too  coarse  and  cheap  to  enable  us  to  sell  garments  for  a 
price  which  would  pay  for  the  necessary  labor.  The 
laces  and  ribbons  were  not  suitable.  The  lace  was  too 
wide  and  cheap,  the  ribbons  were  too  vivid  in  color. 
The  consequence  was  that  instead  of  decorating  garments, 
these  trimmings  deformed  them,  and  thus  defeated  our 
esthetic  aim." 

One  teacher  says  the  scissors  are  of  a  poor  quality  and 
require  frequent  repairing;  the  pins  are  often  rusty; 
thimbles  blacken  the  finger;  thread  is  inferior,  especially 
for  machines,  spools  often  containing  short  pieces  of 
thread. 

4.  Course  of  Study.  One  school  followed  the  sug- 
gestions of  the  sewing  supervisor;  three  followed  the 
official  course  without  modification;  two  modified  the 
course  or  substituted  an  original  one.  One  teacher  who 
departed  from  the  regular  syllabus  says: 

"I  did  not  follow  the  course  of  study,  but  allowed  each 
girl  to  progress  as  fast  as  she  was  able  to  go.  In  other 
words,  the  teaching  is  individual.  If  a  sixth-year  girl  can 
do  eighth-year  work,  I  give  it  to  her.  This  is  an  improve- 
ment upon  the  regular  course  which  keeps  the  class  to  the 
speed  of  the  slowest  girl.    The  plan  I  follow  generally  is: 

5th  Year 

(1)  Hand  sewing;  various  stitches;  fancy  aprons. 

(2)  Machine  practice. 

(3)  Children's  petticoats,  mostly  hand  made. 


32  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

6th  Year 

(1)  Machine  practice. 

(2)  Night  gown. 

(3)  Simple  one-piece  dress. 

7th  Year 

(1)  Play  dress  and  bloomers. 

(2)  Rompers. 

(3)  Chemise,  embroidery  design. 

8th  Year 

(1)  Middy  blouse. 

(2)  Simple  dress. 

(3)  Chemise. 

(4)  Embroidery. 

Two  other  schools  have  similar  com-ses.  One  of  these 
uses  the  official  course  for  j&fth  and  sixth  years. 

5.  Handicaps: 

(1)  Size  of  classes  and  lack  of  cotton.  (One 
teacher  had  register  of  50.) 

(2)  Too  frequent  reassignment;  many  children 
unable  to  complete  garments. 

(3)  More  than  one  teacher  using  a  room,  so  that  it 
was  difficult  to  prepare  work  in  advance. 

(4)  Not  having  a  fixed  room  for  the  work  (in  the 
lower  grades,  sewing  teachers  sometimes  go  to  the 
rooms  where  children  are).  "Carrying  around 
bundles  of  cord  and  raffia  all  day  is  tiresome." 

6.  Grades.  Sewing  is  prescribed  for  all  grades  after 
the  third.  The  formal  work  with  machine  sewing  is 
usually  reserved  for  grades  5 A  to  8B. 

FARMING 
Only  one  school  has  this  activity;  namely,  45. 

1.  Aim.  To  teach  the  rudiments  of  horticulture  and 
agriculture. 


THE  FARMER  AND  HIS  GARDEN  33 

2.  Equipment.  A  greenhouse  (constructed  by  the  boys 
of  the  carpenter  shop),  heating  apparatus,  cold  frames, 
supply  of  garden  tools,  a  garden,  and  a  five-acre  farm. 

3.  Supplies.  Not  adequate.  Need  soil  for  the 
growing  of  plants  and  seeds  in  winter  in  the  greenhouse, 
fertilizers,  coal  for  greenhouse,  books  on  gardening  and 
farming,  encyclopedia  of  agriculture,  encyclopedia  of 
horticulture. 

4.  Course  of  Study.  Time  allowance,  4  eighty- 
minute  periods  a  day.    Topics: 

(1)  Preparing  soil  for  planting. 

(2)  Sowing  seeds. 

(3)  Planting  plants. 

(4)  Studying  nature  and  uses  of  plants  and  seeds. 

(5)  Hoeing  and  weeding. 

(6)  Diseases  of  plants,  and  remedies. 

(7)  Insect  pests  and  how  to  exterminate  them. 

5.  Work  Accomplished:  The  children  have  planted 
the  whole  garden  with  seeds  and  flowers.  This  garden 
is  certainly  a  credit  to  the  school. 

Vegetables:  Beans,  beets,  cabbage,  corn,  cauliflower, 
celery,  kohlrabi,  lettuce,  onions,  parsley,  pumpkins, 
radishes,  squash,  spinach,  tomatoes,  egg  plant. 

Flowers:  Geraniums,  fuchsias,  verbenas,  carnations, 
nasturtiums,  sweet  peas,  coleus,  snapdragon,  ageratum, 
calendula,  astors,  zinnias,  balsams,  petunias,  dahlias, 
candytuft,  vinca,  salvia;  which  in  due  time  will  mature 
and  produce  considerable  revenue. 

So  far  this  season  we  have  sold  one  dollar  and  eighty 
cents'  worth  of  spinach,  onions,  and  radishes,  which 
amount  was  turned  over  to  the  children's  welfare  fund. 

The  farm  has  sold  several  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
products. 


34  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

6.  Handicaps: 

(1)  Necessary  funds  to  finance  the  activity. 

(2)  Improvement  of    property  by  the  board  of 
education. 

Thus  far  the  garden  has  been  on  private  property, 
hence  the  board  could  spend  no  public  funds  on  same. 
The  garden,  however,  has  now  been  purchased  by  the 
city.     The  farm  is  a  part  of  Bronx  Park. 

7.  Grades   (5B-8B). 

MILLINERY 

1.  Aim.  Two  schools  teach  millinery.  The  aims 
formulated  by  the  teachers  may  be  summarized  thus: 

(1)  To  educate  girls  for  everyday  life. 

(2)  To  form  habits  of  neatness,  industry,  and  thrift. 

(3)  To  enable  girls,  possibly,  by  and  by,  to  earn  a 
livelihood  in  the  trade. 

2.  Equipment.    One  school  has 

5  Work  tables. 

6  Hat  stands. 

1  Electric  iron. 

The  other  has  just  the  ordinary  furniture  of  an  aca- 
demic classroom. 

One  teacher  calls  for  a  pressing  board  and  a  steamer 
for  renovating  used  materials. 

3.  Supplies.  The  complaint  made  by  the  sewing 
teachers  is  here  repeated:  "  The  materials  sent  were  too 
coarse  and  cheap  to  sell  to  advantage.  The  velvet  was  a 
cheap  quality  of  velveteen." 

4.  Course  of  Study.  There  is  no  official  course  in 
existence,  so  each  teacher  devised  her  own  syllabus. 
Here  is  one  of  them: 


MILLINERY  CLASSES  35 

1st  Week:    Making  work  bag. 

Making  needle  case. 

Making  pads  and  sticks  for  trimming. 
2nd  Week:  Making  different  kinds  of  bandeaux. 

Wiring  and  covering  bandeaux. 
3rd  Week:    Preparing  hat  linings: 

(1)  Straight  hemmed  lining. 

(2)  Shirred  lining. 

(3)  Cap  lining. 

4th  Week:    Malang  milliners'  folds: 

(1)  Plain  fold  (narrow). 

(2)  French  fold  (wide). 
5th  Week:   Making  buckram  frames: 

(1)  Simple  sailor  frame. 

(2)  Mushroom  frame. 

6th  Week:   Covering  and  trimming  the  frame  with 

materials  of  the  season. 
7th  Week:   Covering  crown  made  from  buckram. 

Making  various  brim  finishes. 
8th  Week:   Making  flowers  from  ribbon  and  silk: 

(1)  Daisies. 

(2)  Poppies. 

(3)  Violets. 

(4)  Apples,  etc. 
Bow  making: 

(1)  Tied  bow. 

(2)  Butterfly  bow,  etc. 
9th  Week:   Making  wire  frame: 

(1)  Simple  sailor  frame. 

(2)  Wire  crown. 

10th  Week :   Making  mushroom  wire  frame. 

Making  turban  wire  frame. 

Wire  crown  for  turban  frame. 
11th  Week:   Shirring  different  kinds  of  materials 
over  wire  frame. 

Preparing  soft  top  crowns. 
12th  Week:   Blocking  cape  net  frames. 

Renovating  used  materials. 
13th  Week:   Sewing  straw  on  cape  net  frames. 

Making  straw  crowns. 

Preparing  trimmings^ 


36  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

The  other  one  follows: 

Spring  Term 

(1)  Illustration  of  stitches  used. 

(2)  Renovating  silk,  velvet,  lace,  chiffon. 

(3)  Cleaning  and  pressing  felt,  straw,  beaver. 

(4)  Cutting  and  wiring  shaped  bandeaux;  use  of 
bandeaux. 

(5)  Textiles:  as  velvet,  cotton,  silk,  ribbon,  lace- 
proper  method  of  cutting,  joining,  and  placing  on 
frames  with  reference  to  weave,  etc. 

(6)  Color,  contour,  and  suitability  of  material. 

(7)  Milliner's  folds  and  plain  folds. 

(8)  Linings:  for  caps — ^bias  and  straight. 

(9)  Hemming:  roll  and  straight. 

(10)  Making  plaits:  single  box,  double  box,  triple 
box,  side  plaiting. 

(11)  Making  cord:  plain  velvet,  shirred. 

(12)  Draft  patterns  for  buckram  hats:  cut  buckram 
shapes  from  patterns;  wiring  and  binding  edgewire 
with  crinoline  and  covering  frames  with  straw  braid. 

(13)  Trimming  hats. 

Winter  Term 

Not  worked  out  in  detail  because  the  class  has  been 
in  existence  during  only  one  term. 

5.  Handicaps:  One  teacher  properly  asks  for  better 
accommodations,  because  she  has  no  special  equipment. 
The  other  complains  of — 

(1)  Too  many  grades.     (5A-8B.) 

(2)  Overcrowded  groups. 

(3)  Delay  in  delivery  of  supplies. 

(4)  Poor  quality  of  supplies. 

LIBRARY 

Some  of  the  schools  have  not  yet  installed  a  library 
I  have  only  four  reports.  None  of  the  schools  are  able 
to  use  a  public  library  in  connection  with  school  work. 


LIBRARY  WORK  37 


Library  work  is  new  in  the  district.    In  no  case  has  a 
library  been  in  operation  for  more  than  one  term. 

1.  Aim.  The  aims  of  library  work  as  formulated  by 
the  teachers  in  charge  may  be  stated  thus: 

(1)  To  cultivate  the  reading  habit  and  to  encourage 
reading  in  public  libraries. 

(2)  To  teach  good  reading  methods,  e.g.,  reading 
to  a  finish;  reading  things  worth  while;  acquaintance 
with  standard  authors  and  their  works;  correct  pos- 
ture; source  of  light;  care  of  books,  etc. 

(3)  To  teach  proper  use  of  the  Ubrary;  finding 
books;  use  of  works  of  reference. 

(4)  To  supplement  work  in  history,  literature, 
science,  geography,  etc. 

(5)  To  inspire  a  love  of  good  literature  and  cul- 
tivate the  habit  of  concentration. 

2.  Equipment.  The  standard  equipment,  aside  from 
books,  is  as  follows: 

10  Steel  sections,  each  containing  six  shelves. 

8  Tables  of  polished  quartered  oak. 
64  Chairs. 

1  Desk  chair. 

1  Librarian's  desk. 

1  Catalogue  unit  containing  four  drawers. 

The  number  of  books  varies.  The  collection  is  at 
present  made  up  of  volumes  formerly  in  class  libraries, 
supplementary  reading  sets,  and  works  of  reference. 

3.  Course  of  Study.  None  has  been  provided. 
Here  is  one  devised  by  a  teacher: 

(1)  Proper  handling  of  books:  how  to  open  a 
book;  place  marking;  cleanliness,  etc. 

(2)  Classification :  finding  books  on  shelves. 

(3)  Use  of  catalogue. 

(4)  Rapid  use  of  dictionary  and  encyclopedia. 


38  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

(5)  How  to  find  mat^ial  relateH  to  classroom 
work. 

(6)  Telling  of  stories  by  librarian  to  introduce 
special  classes  of  books. 

4.  Needs.  The  libraries  are  not  yet  completely 
equipped.    Among  the  recorded  wants  are  the  following: 

(1)  A  Dewey  decimal  classification. 

(2)  Cuttep.  author's  table. 

(3)  Bulletin  board.  '. 

(4)  Shelf  labels  with  celluloid  covers. 

(5)  More  books  suitable  to  the  grades  using  the 
library. 

(6)  Window  boxes. 

(7)  A  low  desk  or  shelf  where  books  of  reference 
may  be  consulted. 

(8)  Some  good  pictures. 

All  the  schools  are  short  of  books.  Many  of  the 
articles  specified  above  can  be  made  in  the  manual 
training  shop.  Pictures  and  casts  are  included  in  the 
standard  equipment  of  the  library. 

5.  Accomplished.  In  the  three  following  paragraphs 
we  have  a  record  of  the  work  done  in  three  schools : 

(1)  Most  of  the  pupils  have  learned  to  read  quietly 
and  continuously;  the  6B's  have  had  dictionary 
practice;  children  have  kept  records  of  books  read; 
much  supplementary  reading  in  history,  geography, 
science;  pupils  have  read  books  on  Chivalry,  Ruskin's 
*'King  of  the  Golden  River,"  ''Alice  in  Wonderland," 
"Irish  Fairy  Tales,"  "Poems  of  American  Patriot- 
ism," "Stories  from  Shakespeare,"  books  on  nature, 
etc. 

(2)  Forty  different  classes  have  been  sent  to  the 
library  for  reading  periods  of  fifty  minutes  daily. 
During  the  term  there  has  been  a  circulation  of  about 
5,000  books. 

(3)  Pupils  of  each  grade  have  had  the  privilege  of 
taking  home  one  book  each  week,  with  free  access  to 


THE  CARPENTER  SHOP  39 

shelves  for  study  and  research.    The  circulation  to 
date  is  9,000. 

6.  Grades.    The  range  of  grades  to  which  library  work 
was  extended  in  the  several  schools  is  as  follows:  School 
-4:     1A-8B;     School    2:     3B-8B;     School    3:     3A-8B; 
School  4:  5A-6B. 

CARPENTER  AND  CABINETMAKER 

Public  School  45  has  a  carpenter  shop  and  Public 
School  53  has  a  cabinet  shop.  A  cabinetmaker  is  one 
who  makes  household  furniture.  A  carpenter  does  the 
framing  and  other  heavy  woodwork  in  the  construction 
of  houses  and  ships.  A  joiner  does  the  lighter  work  of 
building,  supplying  doors,  casings,  and  finishings.  In 
the  United  States  the  work  of  a  carpenter  is  commonly 
understood  to  include  that  of  the  joiner.  Hence  it  will 
be  seen  that  carpentry  implies  a  broader  training  than 
cabinetmaking.  A  carpenter  shop  is  more  useful  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  school  plant  than  a  cabinet  shop. 

1.  Aim. 

(1)  Through  the  use  of  tools  to  arouse  a  desire  to 
create  something. 

(2)  To  develop  a  sense  of  responsibility. 

(3)  To  interpret  and  apply  plans. 

(4)  To  make  minor  repairs  about  the  building,  such 
as  fixing  locks,  doors,  seats,  tables. 

(5)  To  give  the  boy  an  opportunity  to  find  out 
whether  he  would  like  to  take  up  the  activity  as  a 
trade. 

2.  Equipment.  The  carpenter  shop  is  very  inade- 
quately equipped.  Its  habitat  is  in  the  cellar.  We  are 
building  an  addition  to  the  school,  which  will  furnish  a 
decent  place  for  the  carpenter.  The  equipment  at 
present  is  limited  to  the  following: 


40  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

A  regular  suppjy  of  carpenter's  tools,  two  benches 
supplied  by  the  board  of  education,  three  made  by 
the  boys,  three  tool  closets,  three  lumber  racks,  a 
wood  trimmer,  and  a  foot-power  fret  saw. 

The  cabinetmaker  has  the  equipment  described  under 
the  head  of  Manual  Training,  plus  five  motor-driven 
woodworking  machines. 

3.  Course  of  Study.  There  is  no  official  course. 
The  carpenter  gives  the  boy  an  opportunity  to  learn  the 
use  of  the  tools,  to  learn  to  make  and  read  jvorking 
drawi/igs,  and  to  become  famihar  with  the  main  features 
of  building  and  construction  work. 

The  cabinetmaker  selects  problems  suitable  to  the 
grade  and  age  of  the  pupil.  He  gives  lectures  on  all 
tools  and  on  woods,  stains,  and  polishes. 

4.  Results.  The  crowning  achievement  of  the  car- 
penter for  the  year  is  the  construction,  with  boy  labor 
exclusively,  of  a  greenhouse  for  the  school  sixty  feet  long. 
Besides  this,  he  has  done  innumerable  small  jobs  about 
the  building. 

The  cabinetmaker's  problems  were  similar  to  those  of 
an  ordinary  manual  training  teacher,  because  his  ma- 
chinery has  not  yet  been  set  up.  He  has,  however,  made 
school  repairs  valued  at  $210. 

5.  Grades.  Carpenter:  6A-8B;  Cabinetmaker: 
4B-8B. 

MUSIC 

Music  is  taught  in  all  gases  by  regular  grade  teachers 
f  who  have  musical  taste  and  talent. 

1.  Aim.    This  is  expressed  by  four  teachers  as  follows: 
(a)  "To  develop  and  improve  tone  quafity. 


TEACHERS  OF  MUSIC  41 

(b)  "To  teach  rote  singing  and  sight  reading. 

(c)  "To  cultivate  a  taste  for  good  music." 

A  very  successful  music  teache?"puts  it  ^us: 

(1)  "To  enable  the  student  to  read  music. 

(2)  "To  get  him  to  acquire  the  habit  of  part 
singing. 

(3)  "To  instil  a  love  for  good  music." 

2.  Equipment.  For  classroom  teaching  there  is  as 
yet  no  special  equipmeijt  except  the  usual  music  books, 
charts,  etc.  For  auditorium  singing  the  equipment  con- 
sists of  a  piano,  a  victrola,  a  player-piano,  books,  records, 
etc. 

3.  Course  of  Study.  All  the  teachers  report  that 
they  are  following  the  official  course  of  study  except  one. 
She,  however,  uses  a  schedule  of  work  supplied  each  week 
by  the  supervisor  of  music. 

4.  Results  Accomplished.  One  of  the  best  teachers 
reports  the  following  work  accomphshed  in  one  term : 

(1)  Classroom  work  (ZA-SB): 

(a)  Ability  to  recognize  keys  from  signa- 
tures. 

(b)  Ability  to  place  do  on  the  staff  in  each 
key. 

(c)  Major,  minor,  and  chromatic  scales  sung. 

(d)  Dictation,  particular  attention  to  chro- 

matic tones. 

(e)  Five  four-part  songs: 

1.  May  Pole. 

2.  In  Old  Madrid. 

3.  John  Peel. 

4.  Hunting  Song. 

5.  T^e  Heavens  are  Telling. 

(2)  Auditorium — Six  four-part  songs: 

(a)  All  Through  the  Night. 

(b)  Blue  Bells  of  Scotland. 


42  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

(c)  Joy!    Joy!    Freedom  to-day. 

(d)  Vesper  Hymn. 

(e)  Oh,  Worship  the  King. 

(f)  Kingdoms  and  Thrones. 

(g)  Six  Patriotic  Songs  (Unison) : 

1.  American  Hymn. 

2.  Dixie. 

3.  Maryland!    My  Maryland! 

4.  Old  Glorv. 

6.  Old  Folks  at  Home. 
6.  Home,  Sweet  Home. 

(3)  Lectures:  Lives  of  Composers. 

(4)  Orchestra. 

(5)  Illustrations  on  Victrola. 

5.  Handicaps.  In  this  activity,  judging  from  these 
reports,  there  are  more  difficulties  to  hamper  the  teacher 
than  in  any  other  department.  Here  are  some  of  the 
complaints : 

(1)  "Noises  from  the  playground." 

(2)  "Noises  from  street  traffic." 

(3)  "Going  from  room  to  room." 

(4)  "Classes  too  large." 

(5)  "Children  look  upon  music  as  a  bugbear;  hard 
work  to  get  boys  to  study  exercises;  not  enough 
books;  three  sets  of  classes  in  one  term;  very  monot- 
onous to  begin  at  the  beginning  every  six  weeks." 

(6)  "Lack  of  concentration,  due  to  changing  rooms, 
carrying  clothes,  sharing  seats  and  books,  loss  of 
time,  problems  of  discipUne." 

(7)  "Bulky  charts  have  to  be  carried  about." 

(8)  "Time  too  short." 

(9)  "Teaching  four  grades  requires  a  great  deal  of 
preparation." 

(10)  "Teaching  in  a  room  next  to  auditorium 
where  200  children  are  singing." 

This  is  rather  a  formidable  list.  Conferences  have 
already  been  held  for  the  purpose  of  curing  the  ills  com- 
plained of.    The  only  teacher  who  records  no  handicaps 


MANUAL  TRAINING  43 


is  the  one  whose  fine  achievements  are  listed   under 
"  results." 

MANUAL  TRAINING 

There  are  manual  training  shops  in  all  the  duplicate 
schools,  but  in  Public  School  53  this  work  is  "prevoca- 
tional"  in  character,  and  in  Pubhc  School  45  there  is  a 
carpenter  shop  in  addition  to  the  manual  training  shop. 
In  this  connection  I  shall  therefore  consider  only  the  five 
manual  training  shops  in  Public  Schools  6,  28,  42,  44,  and 
45,  the  cabinet  shop  and  carpenter  shop  having  already 
had  separate  treatment. 

1.  Aim.  The  various  aims  enumerated  by  the  teachers 
may  be  summarized  thus: 

(1)  Motor  expression  and  industrial  insight. 

(2)  To  represent,  in  as  practical  a  way  as  possible, 
the  building  and  other  constructive  interests  we  see 
about  us  every  day. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  each  of  these  men  has  the 
social  point  of  view,  and  understands  that  construction 
in  wood  is  just  a  part  of  "  education,"  is  a  mode  of 
expression,  and  aims  to  adjust  the  pupil  to  his  industrial 
environment. 

2.  Equipment.  The  typical  equipment  consists  of  the 
following : 

15  double  benches,  each  equipped  with  the  following 
tools: 

Jack  plane.  1-inch  chisel. 

Smoothing  plane.  }/^-uich  chisel. 

Hand  saw.  J^-inch  chisel. 

Bock  saw.  Marking  guage. 

Claw  hammer.  Screw  driver. 

Mallet.  Sloyd  knife. 

Bench  hook.  Try-square. 

2-foot  rule.  Sandpaper. 


44  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

There  is  also  a  general  closet  containing  bits,  braces, 
bevels,  etc. 

/  3.  Course  of  Study.  There  is  a  prescribed  course  of 
study  in  this  subject,  but  fortunately  this  allows  wide 
latitude  as  to  the  objects  to  be  constructed.  It  is  thus 
possible  to  use  the  course  in  a  duplicate  school  without 
doing  violence  either  to  the  course  or  to  the  theory  of  the 
school. 

4.  Results.  In  one  shop  only  pupils  of  the  seventh 
and  eighth  grades  have  been  taught.  In  others  the 
sixth  grade  is  included,  and  in  several  the  fifth  also.  The 
problems  are  largely  individual.  Here  is  a  specimen  of 
the  kind  of  things  that  were  constructed  during  last 
term:  desks,  tables,  chairs,  costumers,  music  cabinets, 
music  stands,  benches,  china  cabinets,  hat  stands,  bulletin 
boards,  100  picture  frames  for  the  art  department,  maga- 
zine racks,  blacking  stand,  electric  droplight,  sewing 
stand,  umbrella  stand,  cement  arches,  multiple  truss, 
king  truss,  suspension  bridge,  window  seats,  pencil 
sharpeners,  key  racks,  spool  holders  for  the  dressmaking 
classes. 

5.  Handicaps.  No  serious  difficulties  are  reported  by 
any  of  the  teachers.  Several  of  them  wish  they  had 
power  machines;  that  is,  they  would  like  to  convert  their 
manual  training  shops  into  carpenter  or  cabinet  shops. 

PLAY  AND  PHYSICAL  TRAINING 

1.  Aim.  It  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  compare  the 
aims  of  this  activity  as  stated  by  different  teachers. 
Here  is  one,  for  instance,  who  states  the  matter  tersely 
thus:  "  To  allow  the  child  to  develop  physically,  mentally, 
and  socially  through  play  activity."    Another  in  the  same 


PLAY  AND  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  45 

school  puts  it  this  way:  "  To  obtain  good  posture;  to 
make  pupils  alert,  accurate,  graceful  in  movement, 
vigorous,  and  able  to  endure;  to  teach  normal  play  forms 
for  after-school  use;  and  to  give  girls  the  fullest  enjoy- 
ment and  benefit  of  appropriate  athletic  play  and  folk 
dancing."  Still  another  in  the  same  school  varies  the 
statement  in  this  fashion:  "To  increase  the  social  and 
physical  education  of  children;  to  provide  an  enriched 
curriculum  through  play  and  recreation;  and  to  main- 
tain a  high  standard  of  health  and  efficiency." 

It  is  evident  from  these  several  formulations  that  this 
principal  has  picked  the  right  teachers  for  his  playground, 
for  they  have  admirably  stated  the  correct  idea  of  play 
and  physical  training. 

We  have,  however,  equally  successful  expressions  of  the 
aims  of  physical  education  from  other  schools.  Here  is 
one  taken  from  the  combined  report  of  two  teachers: 

"  The  fifty-minute  period  is  divided  between  formal 
physical  training  and  play;  therefore,  we  shall  outline  the 
aim  under  separate  heads,  as  follows: 

"1.  Physical  Training. — The  aim  has  been  to  secure 
immediate  response  to  commands;  to  secure  concerted 
movement  of  large  masses  with  the  least  possible  noise; 
to  develop  the  power  of  inhibition;  and  the  desire  to 
co-operate  on  the  part  of  the  pupil. 

"The  "psychological  aim  has  been  to  develop  automatic 
co-ordinations  with  the  purpose  of  making  certain  move- 
ments objective  rather  than  subjective;  to  promote 
alertness,  precision,  speed,  and  grace;  to  develop  through 
conscious  effort  the  habit  of  good  posture. 

"The  physiological  aim  is  the  correction  of  faulty 
posture  while  standing,  marching,  or  exercising;  the 
improvement  of  health  through  hygienic  exercises. 

"2.  Play. — The  aim  here  is  fundamentally  recreative 
and  hygienic;    to  release  pupils  from  the  mental  and 


46  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

physical  strain  of  formal  work;  to  secure  the  happy 
abandon  of  street  play  with  the  element  of  lawlessness 
eliminated;  to  develop  an  ideal  and  habit  of  f airplay  and 
team-work;  to  subordinate  the  individual  to  the  interests 
of  the  team." 

All  of  which,  in  my  judgment,  is  admirably  put. 

2.  Equipment.  The  equipment  varies  in  different 
schools  and  is  in  many  cases  incomplete  and  inadequate. 
Among  the  wants  recorded  are  the  following: 

(1)  Basket  balls  and  goals. 

(2)  Asphalt  floor  should  receive  a  dust-holding 
dressing. 

(3)  Wands,  dumb-bells,  Indian  clubs,  swing  ropes, 
jumping  mats,  jumping  standards,  handballs,  foot 
balls,  jumping  ropes,  horse-reins,  quiet  games  (such 
as  checkers,  dominoes,  spelling  boards),  tables, 
benches,  cabinets,  desks  and  lockers  (for  teachers), 
and  a  phonograph. 

As  some  of  our  schools  have  all  that  is  here  enumerated 
and  more,  there  is  no  good  reason  for  the  neglect  indicated. 
But  in  a  large  complex  organization  Hke  the  New  York 
school  system,  where  many  different  persons  and  bureaus 
must  co-operate  to  buy  even  a  baseball,  such  lapses  will 
now  and  then  occur. 

Five  of  the  schools  included  in  this  report  have  gym- 
nasia for  formal  physical  training  work,  properly  equipped, 
in  addition  to  the  indoor  playground,  which,  in  New 
York  schools,  usually  consists  of  the  ground  floor  of  the 
building.  Public  School  45  has  just  received  an  appro- 
priation of  $140,000  for  the  purchase  of  a  garden  and  a 
large  out-door  playground.  A  similar  playground  has 
already  been  purchased  for  Public  School  53.  Public 
Schools  28  and  44  should  have  similar  extensions  of  their 
play  space.  Public  School  42  uses  Claremont  Park  for 
outdoor  play. 


jb< 


PLAY  AND  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  47 

3.  Course  of  Study.  As  a  rule,  the  regular  course  of 
study  is  followed.  But,  as  the  children  have  more  time 
and  also  more  space  and  apparatus  for  play  than  is  the 
case  in  ordinary  schools,  the  prescribed  course  is  em- 
ployed as  a  minimum,  and  is  modified  and  extended  as 
circumstances  may  warrant.  Thus:  "  Since  the  present 
arrangements  bring  boys  of  six  grades  into  the  playground 
at  once,  a  course  of  study  has  been  devised  by  combining 
the  more  difficult  exercises  of  the  lower  grades  with  the 
simpler  exercises  of  the  higher  grades."  Two  others 
report:  "We  have  not  modified  the  course  of  study." 
One  says:  "  In  addition  to  the  regular  class  drills  given 
at  the  beginning  of  the  periods,  special  advice  and  exer- 
cises are  provided.  Anaemic  pupils  and  those  suffering 
from  malnutrition  receive  advice  about  diet.  Short  talks 
on  training  for  athletic  events  are  frequently  given." 
Perhaps  the  following  statement  is  typical  of  the  group 
of  schools:  "  The  regular  course  of  study  is  used  in  the 
gymnasium,  but  is  supplemented  by  formal  work,  dancing, 
and  games  in  the  yard." 

4.  Results  Accomplished.  By  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them.  Therefore,  the  supreme  question  is,  "What 
has  the  play  feature  of  the  dupHcate  schools  done  for  the 
children?  "  That  it  has  made  them  happy,  there  can  be 
no  serious  question.  That  it  has  improved  their  health  is 
presumptively  true  and  is  attested  by  several  principals, 
doctors,  and  nurses.  This  matter  is  to  be  tested  scien- 
tifically by  the  Physical  Training  Director  during  the 
coming  year.  Meanwhile  let  us  hear  what  the  teachers 
say: 

(1)  Better   discipline;    greater   alertness;    better 
posture;  increased  desire  for  posture. 

(2)  Better  sportsmanship  in  play. 

(3)  Learned  many  new  games  and  dancca. 


48  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

(4)  The  boys  of  the  first  five  years  were  able  (in 
one  school)  to  qualify  for  tests  in  chinning  for  borough 
championship,  and  the  classes  of  Grades  five,  six, 
seven  and  eight  qualified  without  an  exception. 

(5)  A  new  spirit  of  self-reliance  and  self-control, 
and  quick  adaptability  to  conditions. 

(6)  Children  with  physical  defects  are  receiving 
correctional  exercises. 

(7)  Play  in  parks  has  been  congenial  to  children 
and  less  of  a  strain  on  teachers. 

(8)  Pupils  have  learned  something  of  squad  organi- 
ization  under  squad  captains  for  play  purposes;  have 
reahzed  that  others  have  rights,  even  in  play;  and 
have  been  taught  to  respect  those  rights. 

5.  Handicaps.  Lack  of  adequate  equipment  and 
suppUes  is  mentioned  as  the  chief  handicap  by  twelve  out 
of  seventeen  play  teachers.  Here  are  a  few  typical 
statements: 

(1)  Pillars  should  be  padded  to  avoid  accident. 

(2)  Lack  of  adequate  space  and  equipment. 

(3)  On  stormy  days  only  the  inside  yard  can  be 
used,  consequently  there  is  uncomfortable  crowding. 

(4)  A  mistaken  notion  among  pupils  that  they 
were  not  to  be  subject  to  any  control  whatever  under 
the  new  system. 

(5)  Unsanitary  toilet. 

(6)  Too  few  teachers. 

(7)  Children  in  the  lower  grades  (in  one  school) 
have  two  fifty-minute  periods.  This  is  too  much 
play. 

(8)  Presence  of  first-year  children  with  their  sing- 
ing games  while  upper  classes  are  doing  formal  work. 

Many  of  these  criticisms  are  just  and  call  for  remedies. 
It  is  essential  to  provide  proper  play  space  for  one  division 
of  a  school,  consisting  usually  of  one-sixth  or  one-eighth 
of  the  children.  Not  one  of  the  evils  mentioned  is  inherent 
in  the  system,  but  most  of  them  are  due  to  sudden  reor- 
ganization and  lack  of  experience. 


COMMERCIAL  CLASSES  49 

^^^COMMERCIAL   WORK 

We  have  tit  present  three  schools  with  a  commercial 
department.    These  are  6,  44,  and  53. 

'^  1.  Aim.  One  teacher  aims  to  teach  typewriting,  book- 
keeping, letter-writing,  bill-making,  filing.  Another  has 
ain^s  a  little  more  specific. 

1.  Commercial  Arithmetic. — The  application  of  the 
child's  knowledge  of  arithmetic  to  practical  business 
work  by  the  use  of  drills  in  rapid  calculation,  short 
methods,  business  forms. 

2.  Commercial  English. — Common  business  abbre- 
viations, spelling,  meaning  and  use  of  business  terms; 
composition  of  various  types  of  business  letters. 

3.  Commercial  Geography. — To  train  powers  of 
observation;  to  familiame  tjie  pupil  with  the  com- 
mercial geography  oij^^i^^f^irk  City  and  environs. 

4.  Typewriting. — To  lay  the  foundation  for  future 
study  of  the  subject. 

2.  Equipment.  For  the  present  the  usual  equipment 
of  the  commercial  room  in  a  duplicate  school  of  New  York 
is  as  follows : 

10  Underwood  typewriters,  No.  5. 

10  Tables  and  stools. 

20  Stationary  desks  and  seats. 

3.  Course  of  Study.  Thus  far  the  board  of  superin- 
tendents has  provided  no  course  of  study.  This  gives  the 
principals  and  teachers  indefinite  latitude,  to  experiment 
and  adapt  the  work  to  the  needs  of  pupils.  In  two  schools 
only  the  children  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  are 
sent  to  the  commercial  department;  but  in  the  remaining 
school  the  commercial  group  includes  grades  5A-8B.  It 
is  doubtless  desirable  to  permit  children  of  lower  grades 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age  to  get  elementary 
commercial  training.    One  of  the  commercial  teachers, 


60  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

who  has  made  a  special  study  of  this  work,  has  devised 
the  following  tentative  course  of  study  for  his  school : 

7A.  Business  arithmetic,  short  methods  in  the  four 
rules,  and  business  fractions;  forms,  bills,  receipts, 
checks. 

7B.  Business  arithmetic,  as  in  7A;  interest;  bank 
discount  and  discounting  notes;  forms — bills,  re- 
ceipts, checks  (with  endorsement,  stops,  etc.),  notes 
(receivable,  payable,  protests);  bookkeeping — simple 
personal  cash  accounts. 

8A-8B.  Typewriting  (touch),  bookkeeping  (ele- 
mentary) ;  business  arithmetic  to  correlate  with  bills 
and  accounts,  with  special  emphasis  on  discounting 
interest-bearing  notes. 

;'  It  will  be  recalled  that  the  children  rotate  among  the 
special  activities  of  the  school,  so  that  in  no  case  do  they 
pursue  these  studies  for  more  than  thirteen  weeks  at  a 
time.  But  while  they  do  receive  instruction  they  have  it 
every  day; 

One  teacher  complains  that  ten  typewriters  are  not 
enough;  but  another  shows  how  to  make  use  of  this 
equipment,  thus:  "The  commercial  room  has  ten  type- 
writers and  twenty  bookkeeping  desks.  Thirty  pupils 
are  thus  accommodated  at  one  time.  While  ten  are 
working  at  their  typewriters,  twenty  are  at  their  books, 
and  at  the  end  of  a  given  period  one-third  of  the  class 
go  to  the  typewriters  and  another  third  go  to  the  books.'* 

^  4.  Results.  In  one  school  the  teacher  has  accom- 
plished these  results  during  the  last  term:  "In  typewriting 
children  have  learned  the  uses  of  the  different  parts  of 
the  machine,  two  rows  of  keys,  and  the  use  of  the  shift 
key  for  capitals.  They  were  also  able  to  typewrite  copies 
of  Instructions  for  Field  Day,  In  bookkeeping  they  learned 
the  necessity  of  keeping  books,  the  day  book,  posting, 
cash    book,    making    statements.    They    have    learned 


COMMERCIAL  CLASSES  51 

about  the  different  kinds  of  business  letters,  their  char- 
acteristics, parts,  and  essentials.  They  know  different 
types  of  bills  and  how  to  make  out  and  receipt  the  same. 
In  the  matter  of  filing  they  have  filled  out  and  catalogued 
blue  and  white  pupils'  record  cards  of  the  school.  They 
have  also  made  several  sets  of  indexes  for  the  record  card 
files."    '^ 

5.  Handicaps.  Among  the  handicaps  mentioned  are 
the  following:  (1)  Only  ten  typewriters  (I  have  quoted 
a  reply  to  this  criticism),  (2)  Some  of  the  children  are 
too  young  to  grasp  the  meaning  and  importance  of  the 
work.  The  teacher  who  makes  this  complaint  suggests 
that  only  children  of  the  eighth  grade  be  sent  to  the  com- 
mercial room.  Manifestly,  we  must  except  from  this 
suggestion  over-age  pupils  in  lower  grades.  In  one  school 
children  remained  in  the  commercial  room  only  four 
weeks,  and  the  teacher  justly  mentions  this  as  one  of  her 
handicaps.  This  type  of  school  is  so  new  to  us  all  that 
we  shall  probably  continue  to  make  many  mistakes  before 
the  path  of  wisdom  is  discovered. 

This  section  of  the  report  was  handed  for  criticism  to  a 
teacher  of  commercial  subjects  in  a  Philadelphia  high 
school.  The  following  comments  made  by  her  deserve 
serious  consideration,  and  I  am,  therefore,  including 
them  as  a  basis  for  conference  discussion : 

*^ Typewriting. — My  experience  has  convinced  me 
that  one  teacher  cannot  do  justice  to  a  class  divided 
into  typewriting  and  bookkeeping  sections,  the  two 
sections  being  conducted  simultaneously.  If  correct 
habits  are  to  be  established  in  typewriting,  the  con- 
stant supervision  of  the  teacher  is  imperative.  Even 
shields  will  not  insure  an  accurate  touch  writing  habit, 
nor  prevent  a  lapse  into  habits  of  carelessness  that 
it  will  require  years  to  overcome. 


52  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

"Aside  from  this  feature  of  supervision,  the  class 
in  typewriting  cannot  hope  to  get  adequate  practice 
while  a  bookkeeping  section  is  being  taught.  The 
teaching  of  bookkeeping  requires  constant  black- 
board demonstration,  especially  with  youthful  begin- 
ners; and  even  were  a  teacher  willing  to  shout  her 
explanations  above  the  din  of  ten  pounding  machines, 
she  could  not  be  assured  that  all  of  her  pupils  would 
profit  by  instruction  given  under  such  distracting 
conditions. 

^^ Remedy. — Equip  one  room  with  as  many  type- 
writers as  there  are  children  in  the  largest  class. 
The  desks  holding  these  machines  should  be  pro- 
vided with  the  "disappearing"  device  in  order  to 
leave  a  flat  surface  for  desk  work.  Such  a  classroom 
may  thus  be  used  alternately  for '  bookkeeping  and 
typewriting,  the  two  subjects  being  handled  by  the 
same  teacher." 

MACHINE  SHOP 

Public  School  42  possesses  the  only  machine  shop  thus 
far  installed  in  the  duplicate  schools  of  The  Bronx. 

1.  Aim.  "To  train  pupils  in  the  practice  of  using 
machine  tools;  also  in  the  filing,  fitting,  and  assembling 
of  machine  parts;  necessity  for  precision  in  work;  thinking 
for  one's  self." 

2.  Equipment. 

4  Engine  lathes. 
2  Speed  lathes. 
1  Shaper. 

1  20-inch  drill-press. 
1  Sensitive  drill  press. 
1  Power  saw. 
1  Wet  grinder. 
1  Dry  grinder  (2  wheels). 
1  Work  bench. 
10  Vises. 
1  10-h.p.  electric  motor. 


/ 


THE  MACHINE   SHOP  53 

Small  tool  equipment  as  follows:    Calipers,  steel 

rules,   combination   sets,  V-blocks,   drills,   reamers, 

parallel  clamps,  micrometers,  surface-plates,  pliers, 

hammers,  etc. 

The  following  articles  are  needed  in  addition  to  the 

above  stock  of  supplies : 

2  dozen  round  files,  J^-inch  diameter. 

2      "         "         "     1^-  *'  " 

1      "     half  round  files,    6  inches  long. 

1  ((  H  Jl  H  O  t(  (t 

-     1      "        "        "         "     12      "        "     (all  to  be  of 
the  variety  known  to  the  trade  as  bastard 
files),  63  lb.  cold  rolled  steel. 
No.  8,  Brown  and  Sharpe  gauge  (sheet  steel). 

3.  Course  of  Study  (unofficial) : 

(1)  Explanation  of  parts  and  uses  of  machines. 

(2)  Practice  in  the  operation  of  each  machine. 

(3)  Practice  in  the  use  of  files  in  working  at  a 
bench. 

(4)  Instruction  in  the  use  of  small  tools. 

(5)  Care  of  machines  and  small  tools. 

(6)  Lessons  in  safety. 

4.  Work  Accomplished  (one  term) : 

(1)  Repaired  power  saw  in  machine  shop. 

(2)  Repaired  throw-off  lever  bracket  of  printing 
press  by  screwing  two  steel  laps  to  the  bracket  to 
hold  same  together. 

(3)  Manufactured  12  square-hole  tap  or  reamer 
wrenches,  holes  varying  in  size  from  J^-inch  to  ^ 
inches. 

(4)  Full  size  floating  rear  axle  for  automobile. 

(5)  12  flat  double-end  wrenches  fitted  to  standard 
size  nuts  from  34 -inch  to  54 -inch. 

(6)  1  miniature  cannon  (muzzle-load)  on  wheels, 
cannon  11  inches  long,  made  from  334 -inch  forged 
steel. 

5.  Suggestion.      This  teacher  knows  of  no  handicaps. 
He  is  of  the  opinion,  however,  that  the  period  is  a  little 


84  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

too  short.  In  his  school  shop  periods  vary  from  75 
minutes  to  85  minutes.  If  the  fifty  minute  period  were 
adopted  the  shop  time  would  be  100  minutes  a  day.  The 
grades  taught  are  6B  to  8B. 

POTTERY 

There  is  only  one  pottery  in  the  district,  and  this  is 
located  in  Public  School  45.  Our  potter  is  from  the  Five 
Towns  in  England^made  famous  by  Arnold  Bennett. 
His  work  is  supplemented  by  a  sculptor,  employed 
privately,  who  is  an  artist  of  no  mean  ability.  This  is 
the  way  the  potter  expresses  his — 

1.  Aim.  "To  arouse  and  encourage  the  creative 
instinct;  to  develop  the  individual  and  give  him  an 
opportunity  and  necessary  training  for  his  growth; 
through  his  hands  and  eyes  to  teach  him  beauty  of  form 
evolved  from  a  common  substance,  leading  to  appreciation 
of  beautiful  work  in  other  materials." 

2.  Equipment.  Modeling  tools,  brushes,  scales,  Ismail 
decorator's  wheels,  small  color  wheel,  gas-heated  kiln. 
For  advanced  pupils  the  equipment  should  (but  does  not 
now)  include:  Pd«ver-driven  wheel  and  jigger,  power- 
driven  mill,  foot-lathe  for  turning,  damp  box  for  keeping 
^^'^are  in  condition.  .    ^         ' 

3.  Course  of  Study  (not  official) : 

(1)  Manipulation  of  clay  in  its  various  conditions, 
concurrently  with  the  forming  of  pieces  by  the  coiling 
process. 

(2)  Forms  made  usually  follow  outlines  supplied  by 
teacher. 

(3)  At  irregular  intervals  pupil  is  left  to  his  own 
devices  to  originate  shapes. 

(4)  Decoration  in  colored  clays. 


THE   POTTERT  CLASS  55 

(5)  Designs  in  super-imposed  clay. 

(6)  Clay  cut  away  from  design,  leaving  it  in  relief. 

(7)  Process  of  casting  in  plaster  moulds. 

4.  Work  Accomplished.  There  are  about  500  pieces 
ready  for  the  kiln,  including  a  number  of  sets  ordered  by 
the  board  of  education  to  serve  as  drawing  models  in  ^ 
other  schools.  In  addition,  there  is  a  large  stock  of 
finished  pieces,  glazed  and  fired,  on  hand  for  the  inspection 
of  visitors. 

5.  Handicaps:  "Unless  a  pupil  has  natural  dexterity 
of  fingers  combined  with  neatness,  the  period  (13  weeks) 
during  which  he  receives  instruction  is  not  long  enough 
for  him  to  attain  proficiency.  It  would  be  helpful  if  the 
teacher  were  allowed  to  nominate  a  certain  number  of 
pupils  to  continue  the  course  for  a  second  term.  Pro- 
vision should  also  be  made  to  permit  the  teacher  to  go  to 
school  after  school  hours,  when  the  management  of  the 
kiln  makes  his  presence  imperative." 

6.  Grades  (5A-8B).  I  have  been  much  impressed 
by  the  success  of  this  class.  The  joy  of  the  children  in 
the  work  is  obvious.  As  a  form  of  manual  training  model- 
ing is  fundamental.  Making  mud  pies  is  instinctive,  and 
our  pottery  is  simply  a  method  of  hitching  the  instinct 
to  the  educational  chariot. 

SHEET  METAL  SHOP 

There  is  one  such  shop  in  the  district  at  present.  This 
is  in  Public  School  53. 

The  aim  the  teacher  has  in  view  is  manumental  training, 
"discovering  vocational  aptitude,  giving  a  wider  experi- 
ence in  manual  work." 

1.  Equipment.  Jwo  work  benches,  12  ft.  by  4  ft. 
each^with  12  slide  drawers  for  hand  tools,  and  24  smaller 


56  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

drawers  for  children's  work.  These  benches  have  sheet 
iron  tops  to  protect  them  from  the  flames  of  3  gas  stoves 
belonging  to  each  bench.  Each  of  the  12  drawers  is 
equipped  with  mallet,  compass,  pliers,  try  square,  hand 
shears,  hammer,  scratch  awl.  A  general  tool  closet  con- 
tains punches  of  various  sizes,  solder,  salamoniac,  rosin, 
tinners,  scale  rules,  large  cutting  shears,  circular  and 
straight.  There  is  one  painting  and  staining  bench,  zinc 
covered,  containing  accpmmodations  for  storing  paints, 
brushes,  etc.    There  are  also  the  following: 

1  Cutting  or  squaring  shears. 

1  Grooving  machine. 

1  Rolling  machine. 

1  Beading  machine. 

1  Elbow  turning  machine. 

1  Double  seaming  machine. 

6  Iron  vises.  -    - 

Various  sizes  and  kinds  of  hand  stakes  or  anvils. 

2.  Course  of  Study.  ^  There  is  no  official  course  of 
study.  Models  and  problems  selected  by  the  teacher 
were  adapted  to  children  of  grades  6 A  to  8B,  and  included 
the  following: 

(1)  Soldering. 

(2)  Cutting  with  hand-shears,  straight  and  circular. 

(3)  Making  small  metal  boxes. 

(4)  Biscuit  moulds  of  various  designs. 

(5)  Match  boxes. 

(6)  Drinking  cups. 

(7)  Book  stands. 

(8)  Frames  for  class  schedules. 

(9)  Roof  ventilator. 

(10)  Small  metal  stoves. 

(11)  Lectures  on  all  tools  and  hand  machines  and 
various  metals  and  flux  for  soldering  purposes. 

3.  Needs.  A  boy  should  have  clean  hands  when  he 
leaves  the  shop;  hence  a  lavatory  is  needed  in  this  room. 


PRINTING  CLASSES  57 


PRINTING 

There  are  four  print  shops  in  the  six  schools  now 
operating.  The  reports  are  here  dove-tailed  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  a  more  complete  exhibit  than  can  be 
found  in  any  single  report.  The  schools  with  print  shops 
are  28,  42,  44,  45. 

1.  Aim.     This  is  what  the  printers  try  to  accomplish: 

(1)  Give  children  an  opportunity  to  discover  and 
develop  latent  ability. 

(2)  Afford   children  an  opportunity  to  find   out 
whether  they  would  like  to  follow  printing  as  a  trade. 

(3)  Give  practical  appHcation  of  English. 

2.  Equipment.  Two  Chandler  and  Price  presses; 
paper  cutter;  5  type  cabinets,  23  draw^ers  each;  50  fonts 
of  type;  200  lb.  10  pt.  Roman;  50  lb.  12  pt.  Roman;  50  lb. 
8  pt.  Roman;  lead  and  rule  cutter;  3  fonts  labor  saving 
brass  rule;  3  rule  cases;  leads,  slugs,  and  2  cases  for  same; 
12  drawer  filing  or  stock  cabiaet;  imposing  stone;  lead 
and  wood  furniture;  proof  press;  12  composing  sticks; 
chases,  quoins,  etc. 

Two  shops  have  stitching  machines.  Most  of  the 
printers  say  the  equipment  is  a  little  meagre.  They  all 
want  more  type.  One  wants  more  frames,  a  working 
cabinet  for  storing  galleys  with  type-matter,  a  bank  with 
several  letter  boards  for  "keeping  live  jobs,  a  few  more 
galleys,  a  metal  closet  for  storing  benzine  and  oil,  some 
more  supplies  for  presses.  Another  is  entirely  satisfied 
with  supplies,  but  has  only  one  press.  A  third  desires 
the  following:  About  50  ft.  of  1  point  hair  line  brass  rule 
for  miscellaneous  tabular  work  (labor-saving  brass  rule 
should  not  be  cut);  1  extra  rule  case  for  above;  1  galley 
rack  for  12  or  more  double-column  galleys  that  will 
facilitate  the  handling  of  such  galleys  at  one  central  point 


58 


DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 


for  make-up,  proofing,  etc. 
a  lavatory. 


There  should  be  in  each  shop 


3.  Course  of  Study.  There  is  no  prescribed  course 
of  study.  Each  school  has  been  left  free  to  devise  its  own 
course.  Most  of  the  work  of  the  shops  is  "prevocational," 
that  is,  it  consists  of  doing  real  printing  jobs  for  the  school 
or  some  one  else.  The  most  detailed  course  is  reported 
by  the  printing  teacher  inxPublic  School  28.  It  is  as 
follows: 


COMPOSITION 

9.  Final  Reading. 

1.  Leads,  Slugs,  Rules. 

10.  Proof  Criticisms. 

2.  Furniture. 

^ 

3.  The  Case. 

STONE  WORK 

4.  Straight  Matter. 

1.  Locking  Up  for  Small  Press. 

5.  Distribution. 

a.  Small  Jobs. 

6.  Display  Matter— Reprint. 

b.  2-Page  and  4-Page  Forms. 

7.  Distribution  of  Display. 

2.  Locking  Up  for  Foundry. 

8.  Correcting. 

3.  Breaking  Up  for  Colors. 

9.  Setting  from  Manuscript. 

4.  Imposition. 

a.  Advertisements. 

a.  Hand  Fold. 

b.  Letterheads,     Billheads, 

b.  Machine  Fold. 

Cards. 

c.  Color  Forms. 

c.  Circulars,  Pamphlets. 

5.  Lining  Up  Sheets. 

10.  Tabular  Work. 

11.  Composition  with  Cuts. 

PRESS  WORK 

12.  Make^Up. 

1.  Making  Ready. 

13.  Typographical     Construction 

a.  Small  Jobs. 

of  the  Book. 
14.  Typographical     Construction 

b.  Pamphlets. 

c.  Halftones. 

of  the  Magazine. 

2.  Feeding. 

15.  Study  of  Design. 

3.  Mi.xing  of  Inks. 

16.  Lettering. 

4.  Paper. 

17.  School  Newspaper. 

/■ 

LECTURE  WORK 

PROOFREADING 

1.  History  of  Printing. 

1.  Proofreaders'  Marks. 

2.  Development  of  the  Industry, 

2.  Galley  Reading. 

3.  Biographical  Sketches. 

3.  Advertisements  and  Commer- 

4. Present  Methods  of  Printing. 

cial  Work. 

5.  Study  of  Ink. 

4.  Proofreading  by  Copy. 

6.  Study  of  Paper. 

5.  Revising. 

7.  Study  of  Cuts. 

6.  Page  Reading. 

a.  Halftones. 

7.  Stone  Proofs. 

b.  Electrotypes. 

8.  Press  Proofs. 

c.  Stereotypes. 

PRINTING  CLASSES  59 


d.  Zinc  Engravings.  FIELD  WORK 

e.  Wood  Cuts.  1.  Visiting        Other        Printing 

8.  State  of  the  Printing  Trade.  Schools. 

a.  Book  and  Job  Office.  2.  Visiting  Printing  Offices. 

b.  Newspaper  Office.  3.  Visiting  Electrotype  Firms. 

9.  Opportunities  in  the  Trade.  4.  Visiting  Tvpe  Foundries. 
10.  Inventions.                                        5.  Visiting  Paper  Mills. 

6.  Visiting  Ink  Factories. 

7.  Visiting  Publishing  Houses. 

4.  Work  Accomplished.  In  one  school  the  children 
have  printed  library  cards;  envelopes;  record  cards  for  two 
schools;  lists  of  requirements  in  geography,  history,  and 
arithmetic  for  admission  to  grade  7A.  Another  reports: 
"The  printing  needs  of  our  school  are  such  as  to  demand 
practically  the  entire  product  of  our  press.  At  present 
we  are  engaged  on  a  40-page  booklet  of  compositions  and 
poems  written  by  school  children.  We  also  have  in  hand 
our  semi-annual  school  book  called  The  Children,  which 
consists  of  16  pages  and  two-color  cover  design.  We  have 
had  a  few  orders  from  outside  people.  The  fund  accu- 
mulated is  used  to  meet  shop  expenses.  Accurate  record 
is  kept  of  income  and  expenditure.*' 

Still  another  says:  "The  children  have  printed  18  jobs 
(in  one  term),  consisting  of  cards,  spelling  lists,  poems, 
proverbs,  etc.  They  have  also  printed  our  monthly 
school  journal  of  8  pages  with  cover.  One  job  of  4  pages 
was  printed  for  the  district  superintendent.  For  him  also 
we  stitched  3,000  copies  of  our  8-page  circular  on 
grammar." 

5.  Handicaps.  "Too  *  many  pupils  during  certain 
periods.  This  will  shortly  be  remedied.  Boys  are  the 
logical  pupils." 

The  shops  are  open  to  girls  as  well  as  boys.  One  teacher 
reports  no  handicaps,  and  another  needs  only  a  few  sup- 
plies to  complete  his  happiness. 


60  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

6.  Grades.  In  one  school  only  children  of  the  seventh 
and  eighth  grades  have  been  assigned  to  printing;  but  in 
others  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades  are  included  also. 

PERIODS  OF  ROTATION 

One  of  the  characteristic  features  of  the  duplicate 
schools  is  the  rotation  of  pupils  among  the  several  special 
activities.  The  object  of  this  plan  is  to  give  the  child  as 
varied  an  experience  as  possible.  It  is  a  vocational  try- 
out,  to  ascertain  and  develop  interest  and  talent.  The 
theory  asserts  that  more  can  be  accomplished  by  intensive 
work  recurring  daily  than  by  iafrequent  efforts  spread 
over  a  long  period.  In  Gary,  Indiana,  the  period  of 
rotation  is  thirteen  weeks.  In  that  town  the  schools 
have  three  promotions  a  year.  The  period  of  rotation  in 
special  activities,  therefore,  coincides  with  the  school 
term.  In  New  York  we  have  but  two  promotions,  hence 
the  most  convenient  period  for  rotation  would  be  twenty 
weeks,  but  this  would  give  the  pupil  more  time  in  certain 
subjects  than  the  course  of  study  allows. 

In  view  of  this  difficulty,  various  periods  have  been 
experimentally  employed  by  the  several  principals.  For 
example,  one  says: 

"Children  in  grades  4B-8B  change  from  one  activity  to 
another  activity  every  20  days.  I  insist,  as  far  as  possible, 
that  every  child  shall  have  every  activity  mentioned  in  the 
course  of  study  and  the  full  allotment  of  time.  In  lower 
grades  children  change  every  6  weeks  (32  days.)  Special 
teachers  of  science,  shop,  and  cooking  are  reasonably  sure 
this  consecutive  work  is  to  the  advantage  of  their  classes. 
Teachers  of  drawing  like  this  scheme  reasonably  well. 
Teachers  of  music  find  it  successful  during  the  time  chil- 
dren are  coming  to  them,  but  there  is  a  loss  in  waiting 
four  months  for  further  classroom  music." 


PERIODS  OF  ROTATION  61 

Another  principal  writes : 

"We  change  about  once  a  month.  I  do  not  intend  to 
support  this  plan  by  any  educational  argument  beyond 
the  fact  that  I  want  to  keep  all  pupils  in  the  same  class  at 
the  same  stage  of  progress  at  the  beginning  of  each  term. 
To  do  this  I  felt  it  necessary  to  provide  that  all  pupils 
receive  instruction  in  all  activities  during  the  present  term. 

"I  made  five  changes  during  the  past  term,  but  among 
these  changes  were  assignments  to  library  and  gymnasium. 
I  hope  to  make  a  more  satisfactory  programme  next  term, 
by  having  fewer  changes  for  continuous  periods  and 
alternating  with  the  others  throughout  the  entire  term." 

A  number  of  teachers  in  this  school  have  complained  of 
too  frequent  changes. 
A  third  principal  submits  this  statement : 

"A  re-arrangement  is  made  in  the  special  activities  at 
the  end  of  each  four  weeks.  This  does  not  necessarily 
mean  that  a  subject  is  dropped  and  another  substituted, 
as  many  classes  continue  the  same  activity  for  two  full 
periods  of  4  weeks  each  (8  weeks) .  But  some  changes  are 
necessary  in  order  to  fit  in  all  classes  for  the  required  times. 

"The  general  idea  is  to  carry  on  any  given  activity  con- 
tinuously until  the  time  assigned  to  it  for  a  term  has  been 
used  up.  In  the  case  of  a  subject  like  shop-work,  two 
full  periods  a  day  (100  minutes)  are  given.  This  calls  for 
a  period  of  four  weeks  to  fill  in  the  required  time. 

"In  the  case  of  other  special  activities  (e.  g.,  drawing) 
it  would  be  inadvisable  to  have  daily  periods  of  100  min- 
utes each.  The  length  of  period,  therefore,  has  been 
changed  to  50  minutes.  Consequently,  the  duration  of 
this  special  activity  is  8  weeks  to  fill  out  the  required  time 
devoted  to  the  subject.  In  the  main  the  special  subjects 
Bre  continued  for  8  weeks  before  being  dropped. 

"I  do  not  think  the  periodic  assignment  can  be  justi- 
fied for  all  the  subjects  even  in  the  above  list.  For  the 
subject  of  music  I  considered  it  wrong,  and  so  excluded 
music,  allowing  this  subject  to  extend  over  the  entire 
term  (a  correspondingly  small  amount  of  time  per  week). 


62  DUPLICATE  SCHOOLS  IN  THE  BRONX 

"In  such  subjects  as  library,  drawing,  science,  I  question 
whether  there  is  necessity  or  justification  for  the  intensive 
method.  I  can  see  no  reason  why  pupils  should  need  the 
library  for  a  certain  number  of  weel^  and  then  find  no 
further  use  for  it. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  the  intensive  method  of  handling 
a  subject  is  applicable  only  where  manual  dexterity  is 
being  developed.  In  the  above  Ust  it  would  include  (1) 
typewriting  in  the  commercial  room  (not  the  other  part 
of  commercial  subjects),  (2)  shop  work,  (3)  and  possibly 
cooking." 

In  still  another  school  the  thirteen-week  period  of  Gary 
is  in  use. 

METHOD  OF  ASSIGNMENT  TO  SPECIAL 
ACTIVITIES 

The  method  of  assigning  children  to  the  various  activi 
ties,  the  order  of  rotation,  and  the  amount  of  choice 
allowed,  was  also  investigated.  Here  are  typical  forms 
of  procedure: 

Principal  A: 

"All  children  must  take  all  the  activities  required  by 
the  course  of  study.  Children  with  the  permission  of 
parents  are  allowed  to  choose  printing  or  typewriting  and 
drop  other  special  activities.  The  order  in  which  children 
take  up  special  activities  is  controlled  under  my  scheme 
of  rotation  by  the  program. 

"Records  are  kept  in  class  ledger  of  special  subjects 
taken  by  children.  Each  child  has  five  lines  from  right 
to  left  across  the  page  allotted  to  him  for  his  record.  At 
the  top  of  the  page  are  the  subjects  taken  each  month  and 
from  month  to  month  the  points  obtained  in  each  subject. 
The  record  book  is  the  ordinary  leather  covered  class 
record." 

Principal  B: 

"In  assigning  children  to  special  activities,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  follow  any  uniform  method,  as  there  are 


ASSIGNMENT  TO  SPECtAl)  VcTmTTfcS  '      *  *  63 

double  and  single  periods  in  certain  subjects.  I  gave  the 
preference  of  double  periods  to  the  higher  grades.  As 
long  as  there  must  be  double  periods  for  cooking  and  shop- 
work,  there  will  always  be  two  single  periods  per  day  left 
in  these  subjects,  and  if  the  higher  grades  are  to  be  given 
preference,  the  scheme  providing  for  the  assignment  of 
special  subjects  in  the  same  order  for  all  classes  will 
always  be  impossible. 

"Records  of  changes  in  assignment  are  kept  by  classes, 
and  since  all  pupils  in  a  class  follow  the  same  programme, 
the  record  of  any  individual  pupil  corresponds  with  the 
record  of  his  class.  There  have  been  very  few  exceptions 
to  this  rule  and  in  these  cases  individual  records  have  been 
kept." 

Principal  C: 

"  During  the  course  of  one  term,  the  pupils  have  devoted 
some  part  of  their  time  to  each  of  the  several  activities. 

"  Pupils  are  not  at  liberty  to  elect  except  the  commercial 
course,  the  special  subjects  in  my  school  being  all  included 
in  the  prescribed  course  of  study. 

**  No  general  principle  governs  the  sequence  of  these 
subjects  during  the  course  of  the  term.  If,  for  example, 
shop  should  properly  come  first  during  the  term,  then 
only  one  class  can  be  correct  in  this  respect.  Another 
class  must  have  the  last  part  of  the  term  and  be  assigned 
contrary  to  the  assumed  principle.  The  other  classes 
between  the  extremes  will  be  correspondingly  right  or 
wrong  in  assignment.'* 


OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


RBnmN  TO  deI?^^  use 

"  DESK  FROM  Which  j,r^„^ 
irSAm.,   Jl™™  BORROWED 

71  K^'-^AN  DEPT 


CP6572sl0)476-A-32 


U  .     O.     U1_I1I\H_L.    I      l_ll_>l  l/-\l  lll_0 


CDS7^17SD7 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


y--'tU^si<' 


